Not Quite As Planned
by InuOniShi
Summary: Kagome and Rin are kidnapped by Naraku. Instead of waiting around to be rescued, they make their escape. They traveled for several days before they settle down to wait for help to find them. Their savior comes in the form of a handsome Demon Lord, who has a tough choice to make does he separate the two who had grown close or swallow his pride and merge his and his brother's pack?
1. Crash Landing

_**Disclaimer:**_ **I OWN NOTHING! Not a single thing. I merely enjoy writing these characters into a plot that my mind decided it liked!**

 _ **A/N:**_ **I'm only going to do the disclaimer once, I don't want to do it every single chapter so I hope that is okay!**

 **I realize that I'm currently working on A Chance To Change Fate, and I probably shouldn't be writing two stories at the same time, however, I am drawing a blank on where to go next with ACTCF and I truly enjoy writing and this story came to me in a dream and I couldn't push the thought away. I've already finished writing chapter 26, and I only started writing this story two days ago. The chapters range in size, some are incredibly small and others are quite long. However, I will probably only post one chapter a day, regardless of the chapters length. I hope you all like it!**

 **This story is rated for FUTURE mature themes, language, violence, etc.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1:**_ _**Crash Landing**_

Kagome awoke slowly, her blue eyes fluttered open greeting her with the sight of grass and the trunk of a tree. She was laying on her left side and quickly rolled onto her back. The sun still shone in the bright clear sky, but it was no longer hanging directly over head meaning several hours had passed.

Putting both of her hands on the ground she attempted to push herself into a seated position. White hot pain shot up her abused left arm and she crumpled back onto the ground with a hiss. Her arm had to have taken the force of her fall, and her head must have collided with the tree, explaining the throbbing ache.

She tried to recall what had happened and why she was laying in an unfamiliar part of the forest, obviously completely alone. She remembered the Naraku puppet attacking them like usual with the typical horde of lesser demons. And how she had fought as long as she could until her arrows ran out.

Miroku had ended up accidently sucking up the poisonous insects and she had dropped her bow and empty quiver and ran towards him. Before she could even make it half-way she was picked up by a gloating Kagura. The wind witch had been bleeding profusely, and had used her as a means to escape without further injury.

She remembered them flying over the forest and then suddenly they were sinking. Kagura's wounds were getting worse and she was losing control. After that all she could remember was extreme pain and then nothing. Her eyes glanced above her to the tree, just two feet above the ground was coated slightly in blood and the bark was damaged from a heavy impact.

What was she going to do? She was heavily injured and weaponless. There was no way to tell how far Kagura had traveled before they had fallen, or how long it would take Inuyasha to track her down. Deciding that laying around motionless wasn't going to help her case, she struggled to her feet.

She clutched her left arm to her chest as she explored the woods around her. She was grateful to find that her legs had avoided any real damage besides for some minor cuts and scraps. After several minutes she had a nice pile of rocks and sticks, while they weren't the best weapons, and would be almost completely useless against humans, she could at least channel her powers into them against demons.

She sat down at the base of a tree with her makeshift weapons within reach. The sun began to sink and tiredness leached into her limbs. Her eyelids began to droop and she fought it as best as she could. Sleeping again while alone was dangerous, but her body was sore and exhausted. The battle with herself lasted only a couple minutes before her body dropped to the right and her eyes slid closed.


	2. Returning The Favor

_**Chapter 2:**_ _**Returning The Favor**_

"Disobedient child! Find your food so we may wait in the clearing Lord Sesshomaru told us to," a loud voice echoed in her pounding head.

"But, Master Jaken, she looks hurt," a softer gentler tone soothed the ache.

"It isn't our concern!"

Kagome's blue eyes fluttered open, she had a vague sense of de'javu from the previous morning, but instead of seeing green and brown her vision was filled with orange and yellow. Without shifting her body she allowed her sight to follow it up until she reached the face of a concerned girl with a small ponytail on the right side of her head.

"Rin-chan," she called out just loud enough for the young girl to hear.

Surprise and then recognition flashed in the little girl's bright brown eyes, "Kagome-chan."

"Inuyasha's wench," Jaken gasped, then looked around wildly trying to spot the half-demon.

She struggled a moment before she was able to sit up. Her left arm still throbbed painfully, but luckily the pain in her head had calmed just a tiny bit. Her back was stiff and sore from sleeping on the ground and the impact she had made with the tree yesterday. Rin sat down in front of her, checking her over.

"What happened, Kagome-chan," she asked in concern.

"Kagura picked me up during a battle," Kagome smiled softly at the young girl, "I thought maybe she was trying to use me to escape Inuyasha, since she was injured, but I think maybe she was trying to kidnap me. She grew tired and we crashed. She was gone before I woke up yesterday."

"You look really hurt," Rin frowned, "Ah-Un, has my stuff. If we go to him, I can clean you up."

"Absolutely not," Jaken snarled, "Lord Sesshomaru would never permit it."

"Lord Sesshomaru would understand," Rin told him defiantly.

She helped the older girl gain her footing and gently led the way. The clearing she spoke of was small and very well covered by large canopies of tree tops. Ah-Un laid on the grass, his eyes lazily watching the three enter his resting place. The beast seemed almost unsurprised that they had a new addition to their numbers.

Rin brought her to a small stream that ran through the edge of their clearing, a great source of drinking water. With encouragement she sat next to the crystal clear water as Rin made a dash for Ah-Un. She returned moments later with an old tattered kimono. Slowly she ripped it apart, and made a sling for Kagome's abused left arm, and used the rest as rags to wet and clean the dried blood off the right side of her face.

"Thank you, Rin-chan," Kagome smiled brightly at the youth who was working so diligently to care for her.

"You don't have to thank me, Kagome-chan," Rin smiled back, "you helped me before too."

"That was quite some time ago," the elder female lost herself into thought.

They had been hunting the jewel shards for going on two years now. The last time she had ran into this group had been a little over a year ago. It was at the tail end of winter and Rin had gotten sick. Sesshomaru unfortunately did not know how to heal a human, and neither did any of his demon healers at his palace. Which had left him with only one option, ask for their help.

Despite Inuyasha's insistence that they didn't owe him anything, Kagome had gone ahead and took care of the young girl. In exchange, Sesshomaru offered an alliance between them against Naraku. Inuyasha had refused at first, until the group had smacked some sense into him and forced him to agree.

It didn't mean that they got along. In fact, she hadn't seen Sesshomaru in so long, she had to wonder if the demon lord was purposely avoiding his younger half-brother. It wasn't really her business and even if she had wanted to ask, she didn't think Sesshomaru would even answer her. And despite the alliance, she was afraid that if she put one foot out of line with the tall opposing demon lord that he would have no qualms about cutting off her head.

"No need to worry," Rin told her, bringing her out of her thoughts, "Lord Sesshomaru will return and he will get you medicine to feel better."

An uneasy feeling fluttered in her stomach. Somehow, she wasn't sure that Sesshomaru would be as receptive to her being there. Yet, that wasn't what was making her feel so nervous. Her breathing sped up as the sense of being watched overcame her. Something was out there and she for once she prayed, in vain, for it to be Sesshomaru.


	3. End of the Line

_**To Montara: I have to say, thank you so much for reviewing! I know you also follow and review every chapter from ACTCF too, and I'm sooooo thankful! You are wonderful! Truly! And to address your question, Kagome can sense reiki and youki, but if the person is too far away or is suppressing their youki or reiki she might not notice them. And if she isn't paying attention, it's possible she may not sense it in time. It all really depends on the situation!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 3:**_ _**End of the Line**_

"Rin," Kagome locked her blue eyes with brown, "run."

"What, but Kagome-chan," Rin asked confusedly.

"Now," the woman stood and used her good hand to pull the young child to her feet.

The girl stared at her in shock and confusion, until demons began to swarm their clearing. Kagome held tight to the child's hand as she ran. Jaken's small steps kept him a good couple of feet behind them. He chased after them, occasionally stopping to spray fire at the approaching demonic force. Ah-Un rained down lightning, trying to keep up with his charge and protect her at the same time.

"Rin," Kagome cried out as the little girl's legs were restrained too much by her kimono and she fell.

Ignoring the bright hot pain in her left arm, she quickly scooped Rin into her arms and ran. Terror filled her entire body, giving her the speed to keep ahead of the approaching force. She could hear their cries of excitement as they began to close in on them. Jaken had been left behind, but she could still hear the sound of him fighting.

Ah-Un was barely keeping up, demons of all kind clung to his body slowing him down. Refusing to stop, she didn't notice the demons weren't actually dealing any damage to the two abandoned companions, she continued on with a crying child in her arms. Rin's forlorn sobs echoed loudly in her head that had began to pound.

Her momentum carried them far and by the time she noticed the cliff it was too late. The ground beneath her feet suddenly fell away and they were falling. Thinking quickly, she turned so that when they landed she would hit first. Their fall was cut short by something soft and bouncy.

Kagome was thankful that they were no longer falling, but that gratefulness died when she realized they were still moving. Turning her head to the side, she caught bright red eyes staring at her. A shiver of foreboding ran down her spine.


	4. Trapped

_**Chapter 4:**_ _**Trapped**_

"You saved me the trouble of having to capture you both separately," Kagura spoke softly, a hint of upset in her tone.

"What is going on," Kagome held the sobbing fearful child tighter to her body.

"Naraku wants you two to bargain with the brothers. He figures he can trade your lives for the end of their alliance."

"How come you didn't just take me the first time," she demanded, her voice sounding confident even though she felt anything but.

"I was too inured to hold us both. I had to wait till I was healed enough to carry you."

"Which means, you've been near by this whole time," the realization brought dread.

"I was going to grab you sooner, but then I saw the little girl nearby and decided to wait to see if I could get you both."

As much as Kagome was mad at Naraku, she was angry with herself. While the half-demon hadn't used kidnapping as a means to get what he wanted in over a year, it was still something he was known for doing. She should have taken her gut fear that Kagura was attempting to kidnap her to heart. Though, she was grateful that she was here with Rin, instead of the young girl being scared on her own.

She resigned herself to simply lying still. If she jumped from the feather she would likely break one or both of her legs and she wouldn't be able to guarantee Rin's safety. And even if she did manage to somehow not injure herself, she wouldn't be able to outrun Kagura not even if she didn't have Rin to carry. And she would never leave the young girl to fend for herself.

All she could do was pray and hope that Sesshomaru had been nearby before their capture. Then maybe he could catch their scent trail and track them down long before Kagura was able to carry them to wherever Naraku planned to hold them. It was a slim chance, but their only one seeing as Inuyasha probably was still a ways off.

"It's okay, Rin-chan," Kagome told the whimpering girl, "I'll protect you. I promise."


	5. Haunted Shiro

_**Chapter 5:**_ _**Haunted Shiro**_

Kagura brought them to a large Shiro. The entire building was covered in a thick purple miasma that had killed all the wildlife around it. The feather landed and the wind witch hauled Kagome, who was still holding Rin, to her feet by her left arm. She gasped out in agony as it was pulled, but a soft popping sound filled the clearing and the pain receded to a dull ache.

In a whisper, Kagura informed Kagome, "your shoulder was dislocated."

Unable to allow a kind dead to go without heeding Kagome responded with a thank you as she was gently led into the building. The walls felt like they were closing in on her, haunting her. This place had once been filled with joy, happiness and life. Now, it held only pure evil and death. A shiver danced down her spine and she clutched the sleeping child tighter to her body.

Rin was ten years old and she was getting way too big to be picked up, but Kagome just couldn't bring herself to set the girl down. This wasn't either of their first times being kidnapped by the half-demon, but it was the first time that they would have someone they cared about with them. They needed each other for comfort.

After what felt like hours, Kagura finally opened a door and gestured for them to go inside. Kagome ducked into the room and listened as the door was slid closed. She didn't doubt for a second that a demon, probably Kagura, would remain outside the door standing guard at all times. Leaving the way they had entered would not be an option.

Gently Kagome laid Rin down on the futon in the corner of the room. She whimpered, slightly in between sleeping and consciousness. Kagome pressed a soft kiss to the young girl's temple before standing. She glanced around the room and found one window. It was just big enough Kagome would be able to fit through, but it was so high she would need to use both her arms to grab the ledge and pull herself up.

Another quick sweep of the room left her certain that the window was their only route for escape. While her shoulder was back in place and didn't hurt nearly as bad as it had before, she still doubted she would have the strength at that moment to pull herself through. But, how many days time should they wait and leave their rescue up to the others?

How many times had she been the damsel in distress? How many times had she needed Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku or even Shippo to come to her aid? Too many times. She was stronger than that now. And she had someone to protect. Naraku may only be using them as a means to cause the brothers to fight again, but that didn't guarantee that the half-demon wouldn't torture them while he could. For Rin's sake they would leave as soon as possible.


	6. Escape

_**Chapter 6:**_ _**Escape**_

Kagome didn't know when it happened, but at some point she had laid down next to Rin and fallen asleep. She was awaken, close to night time, by the sound of the door opening. Two trays were laid in the room, filled with a bit of rice, cooked fish, and a small cup of water. It wasn't much, but at least it would be something,

She didn't want to trust the food provided to them, but she had little choice. She hadn't eaten in over two days and she would need something in her stomach to keep her active as they escaped. Nudging the young girl next to her awake, she retrieved the food. She placed a tray at Rin's feet, before fetching her's.

Sitting down in front of Rin, she laid her tray on her lap and slowly ate. Rin nervously followed suit, her own stomach protesting the emptiness it felt. Once the food was gone, Kagome placed the trays by the door and waited. Not to long after the door opened and Kagura removed the trays, shutting the door behind her. Hearing fading footsteps, Kagome sat down next to Rin and whispered into her ear.

"Rin-chan, I don't think we should wait for Lord Sesshomaru or Inuyasha to come and rescue us. I think we need to get out of her on our own. Can you trust me?"

"Of course, Kagome-chan."

"The only way out is that small window," she pointed to said object, "when you fall out the other side, you need to make sure your legs aren't straight and as soon as your feet touch the ground you need to tuck and roll."

Seeing the confused look Kagome demonstrated a somersault. Rin nodded eagerly and agreed to follow her instructions. With difficulty, Kagome picked up Rin and placed her on her shoulders. Her left arm felt as if it was on fire, but thankfully she was able to ignore it.

"Okay, Rin-chan, open the window slowly."

The little girl complied and slid the small screen open gently.

"Do you see anything?"

"No."

"Okay, go for it."

The weight was suddenly lifted from her shoulder as Rin slipped legs first out the window. A soft plop noise sounded and Kagome prayed the young girl was okay. She waited only a few seconds before she grabbed the window ledge and tried to haul herself up. Kagome bit back a scream of pain as her arm protested the newest form of abuse.

Her progress stalled and she fell back to her feet clutching her hurting limb. The distant sound of footsteps filled her with dread and adrenaline started pumping through her veins. Once more she grabbed the ledge and using as much force as she could muster, she pulled herself through the opening. Due to the windows small size she went out head first.

Unable to roll, her shoulders slammed hard against the unforgiving ground and her body unfurled laying her splayed on her back. Winded and hurting more than before she took only a few precious seconds to refill lungs with oxygen. Rin appeared in her vision to her right, spurring her into action.

She forced herself to her feet. Quickly she grabbed the young girl's kimono and hiked it up to expose her legs.

"Hold on to this, we need to run and you won't be able to if the fabric is down," she whispered to her charge.

Rin fisted her right hand in the fabric holding it tightly to her body. Kagome claimed Rin's left hand with her right and pulled the girl with her into the surrounding forest. She headed towards the dying light of the setting sun. While she didn't know where they were, she knew that Sesshomaru would be coming for them from the west, and she trusted the demon lord a whole lot more then she trusted Naraku.


	7. Upstream

_**Chapter 7:**_ _**Upstream**_

The two jogged through the woods at a steady pace. While Kagome wanted to run, she knew doing so would quickly deplete their bodies of energy and would leave them vulnerable. She was, for once, thankful that Inuyasha had always pushed them so hard on their journey to collect the jewel shards, even she was impressed with her stamina.

As Rin started to slow, showing signs of exhaustion, a wide stream appeared before them. They came to a stop and Kagome glanced behind them. Noticing nothing out of the ordinary, she decided it was time to make a plan. The bank of the stream was muddy, but the bottom of it was pebbles. She thought for a moment, they needed to throw off their trail otherwise they were sure to be found.

Kagome picked up a sharp rock and hacked the bottom portion of Rin's kimono off, "we are gonna use this to lead them the wrong way, and now you will be able to run easier."

"Okay," Rin nodded tiredly, wanting nothing more than to sit and relax.

Kagome moved to a bush by the stream, and snagged the loose fabric on it. Knowing that wouldn't be enough she let the sharp thorns drag across the back of her hand, coating them with her blood and scent. Once finished, she angled herself and walked along the bank headed downstream and then slowly moved into the water and onto the pebbles.

Her large footprints were very noticeable and clear, but she knew anyone looking for them would attribute the marks as being unknowingly left in their fear and need for escape. They wouldn't second guess the trail, as Kagura and Naraku wouldn't know she had any sort of survival skills on her own.

"Rin-chan, you need to walk to me, lining your footprints up beside mine, okay?"

The young girl nodded and copied her path into the stream, "it's cold, Kagome-chan."

"I know sweetheart, and it's only going to get colder, but if we don't stay in the water, they will be able to track us," Kagome felt horrible for having to do this, "we actually need to lay down in the water. We need to wet our entire body, and we will have to repeat that process several times to hide our scent as we go. Eventually we will be able to get out of the water, but not yet."

She helped the shivering young girl lay down in the stream and made sure every inch of her skin was washed in the cold water, before repeating the process to herself. The cold felt amazing on her left shoulder, but even she was shivering when she finally stood.

"Make sure to watch your feet, okay, Rin-chan? You can't step in any mud or sand, you need to stay on the pebbles at all time to hide our foot prints."

"Okay,"

She led the young girl upstream, walking the opposite direction then their muddy footprints in the bank suggested. It didn't take long for Rin to start being overcome with exhaustion, so Kagome helped the young girl onto her back. It was slower, and she had to fight to keep her footing on the loose slippery pebbles, but she couldn't let them stop now. If Naraku and Kagura hadn't noticed their escape yet, they had until breakfast time to put as much distance between them and the Shiro and if they had noticed there was no time to lose.


	8. A Coat of Mud

_**Chapter 8:**_ _**A Coat of Mud**_

By the time the sun started to rise in the sky, Kagome was utterly exhausted. Her body ached and screamed in all kinds of ways and her stomach rumbled reminding her it was empty. Her legs felt as if they would give out at any minute under her and the sleeping Rin's weight. She needed rest, but she was still so worried they would get caught.

Deciding she had no choice, she used a large rock on the side of the stream to help her and her charge out of the water without leaving muddy footprints. Once in the grass, she gently laid Rin down against the trunk of a tree. Without letting the child out of her sight she searched around for something to eat.

Eventually she found some berries and once she was satisfied that they weren't poisonous she collected as much as she could. They were rather tart, but she needed something, anything to eat. Once she had her fill, she collected more and brought them over to Rin. The child woke slowly, but once awake she ate quickly.

"Do we have to get back in the water," Rin asked, her body only just beginning to heat up after a night of constant dips in the freezing liquid.

"No," Kagome bit the inside of her lip, "but we will need to coat our body in mud to hide our scent outside of the water."

"Lord Sesshomaru doesn't like it when I get muddy."

"I know sweetheart, but I think this time he would be okay with it. You have to trust me. If we want to stay away from Naraku and Kagura, we will need to do this. Hopefully us being wet didn't let our scent sink into this clearing, otherwise they will know we were headed upstream. But, I think it's time we started traveling west again instead of north, and we can only do that if we are completely covered in mud to hide our scent."

Reluctantly, Rin allowed Kagome to coat her entire body in mud. The only thing that Kagome left visible was Rin's eyes. Then she started the process on herself. She made sure only to grab mud from inside the stream, large holes on the bank of the stream would look suspicious and if their scent was in the clearing it would alert them to her attempt at subterfuge.

Once they were both completely brown, Kagome grabbed Rin's hand and led them due west. She wouldn't allow them to stop till the afternoon, where she would sleep away the hottest part of the day. They couldn't afford to sweat off their scent shield, and she hoped that at some point they would find another stream to recoat themselves when nightfall came.


	9. Defense

_**Chapter 9:**_ _**Defense**_

When nightfall had hit, Kagome was grateful for the change in temperature. The day had been hot and humid, which had forced them to stop earlier than she had originally hoped and sleeping had been difficult at best. Rin, who had slept at night, had remained awake, keeping watch over Kagome.

Now, it was dark, their mud was reapplied thanks to a small pond they had found, and Rin was asleep on Kagome's back. They had been traveling for over a day now, but she wasn't sure just how far they should go before stopping. They couldn't travel like this forever, and even though Kagome knew they were headed west, she had no clue where to find Edo, or wherever it was that Sesshomaru lived.

Eventually they would need to find somewhere, where they could wash off the mud and eat something more substantial than a handful of berries. But something more than fruit required a fire and she still felt they were much too close to Naraku's shiro to consider one. She would also need to make herself a makeshift bow, and some crude arrows. Even hidden in scent as they were, danger could still strike at any moment.

With that in mind, she pushed through the night and stopped during the morning to fill her and Rin's stomach with sticky fruit. Once done, she allowed the child a moment to rest as she got to work finding a large stick that would bend nicely without breaking. Instead of string she used a strong piece of ivy, the green plant was thick and held together when she drew it back.

Once satisfied with her rather odd looking bow, she collected Rin and had the youth walk beside her. They continued on their path until the sun was almost directly above them. Kagome asked Rin to help her find some slightly thick sticks and when the pile was large enough, she found a sharp rock and showed the young girl how to sharpen the end.

While Kagome slept, Rin crafted a dozen arrows. Leaves were tied on to the end using strands of her muddy hair and another piece of ivy was used to tie the bundle of arrows together for carrying. While it wasn't the best weapon, it certainly was better than nothing.


	10. Fish

_**Chapter 10:**_ _**Fish**_

In total the two traveled five days and six nights before Kagome deemed them out of harm's way. It was on the afternoon of the sixth day when they came across a den in the side of a small hill. The opening was barely big enough for Kagome to slide through, but the dwelling inside was wide and spacious.

A part of Kagome wondered what happened to the creatures that had once lived there, but another part was just thankful for them to have found a place to rest until they were located by one of their groups. The pair stuck together as they searched out the surroundings and got a baring of their location.

Nearby there was a large stream, wide enough to bathe in, and to her surprise housed fish. Rin excitedly told Kagome that she was good at catching fish, and Kagome agreed that for the first time they would light a fire. Thankfully she had found some flint during their journey otherwise the task would have been next to impossible.

She sat on the bank as she watched the young girl scoop up the fish with her bare hands, "Rin-chan, who taught you to catch fish like that?"

"Master Jaken," Rin grinned widely at her, "Lord Sesshomaru said I needed to be able to feed myself just in case, so Master Jaken taught me about berries and fishing."

Kagome smiled softly at the child's ability to not let the darker things in life weigh heavily on her. She couldn't say the same. She felt almost useless having been kidnapped again. Though, she supposed this time she had gotten out on her own and with Rin in safe condition too. And she had obviously done well in throwing off their trail otherwise they would be back in the Shiro by now.

So maybe she wasn't so useless, as they were free, but they were still lost. She wished she had taken more time to get to know Japan's layout rather than let Inuyasha lead them everywhere they went. She had trusted the half-demon so much it had led to her downfall now. Because, safe from Naraku as they were, it might just mean they were safe from their friends too.

Once Rin had deposited five fish on the bank, Kagome told her it was enough. She helped the young girl undress, before undressing herself and joined her in the freezing water. The stream barely went up to her knees, but she would have to make do. She gently laid down in the water and scrubbed the days of mud from her skin. After she was clean, she worked on Rin, who enjoyed her attention greatly.

She left the young girl to splash in the stream behind her as she pulled their clothes into the water and washed them. They would be stained, but they couldn't very well remain naked until their friends arrived. She desperately told herself not to use the word if. It wasn't if, it was when. Her friends, or Sesshomaru, would arrive. Not if, when.

Once their clothes were washed, the pair donned their wet outfits. Kagome used a flat sharp rock to gut and skin the fish. Unable to leave the heads, she removed them with difficulty, but managed. They carried their clean catch back to their den. They found sticks that would work for holding them, and once set, they made the fire pit and started the fire.

Kagome watched her young charge, as the girl gently turned the fish to make sure they didn't burn. There was no telling how long they would be out there fending for themselves. There was no way to know, not if, when their friends would show up. So they would have to use this time to get to know each other better. She just hoped that if they came to care for each other, they wouldn't have to be separated when their groups found them.


	11. Bad Memories

_**Chapter 11:** **Bad Memories**_

Even though they were bunkered down and finally had a relatively safe place to stay, they kept their sleeping patterns staggered. Kagome slept during the afternoon and Rin slept during the night. Rin didn't much care for being cooped up in the den during daylight hours, but she figured the freedom of being outside Naraku's Shiro was worth the loss of play time.

Each night Kagome sang Rin to sleep, and held the young child in her lap to keep her calm and fight off nightmares. During the afternoon, Rin allowed Kagome to use her legs as a pillow, while they were on a makeshift bed of dried leaves. Every day was a routine; they had breakfast, bathed, washed their clothes, played and talked, had lunch, Kagome slept, she awoke and made dinner, then Rin slept. It kept them safe. As Rin had several times had to wake Kagome due to an invading demon who got curious about the scent of two mortals.

They kept a steady supply of their crude arrows and Kagome had three bows strung and ready just in case one broke. They were also lucky because the opening of the den was small enough it kept out the larger and more dangerous demons. As the demons were noticed trying to dig their way in and killed with an arrow long before they could.

After breakfast that day, Rin decided it was much too hot to play and wanted to sit in the stream long after bath time had ended. Kagome didn't mind, she sat on the bank watching the young girl splash and play in the water, while soaking her still tired feet.

"Rin-chan," she asked softly, "how did you come to follow Lord Sesshomaru?"

Rin turned slightly somber, "after my parents died I was constantly abused by the villagers, so I tried to avoid the village as much as possible. One day I came across Lord Sesshomaru, he was lying against a tree badly hurt and I knew how it felt to be hurt and I wanted to help him.

"I gave him food and tried to be there for him as much as possible. Eventually he started getting better and I knew he would leave soon, so I returned to the village. Not long later it got attacked by wolves. Everyone was screaming and running trying to get away from them and I knew if I got to Lord Sesshomaru I would be safe.

"So, I tried to run for him but I fell down. I remember lots and lots of pain. But, mostly I was sad because I didn't get to make it. Then I remember seeing a bright white light and there stood Lord Sesshomaru and I was all better. He started to leave and I followed him, knowing I would always be safe with him."

Tears filled Kagome's eyes and she tried desperately not to let them fall. The poor child lost her parents, was abused, and obviously viciously murdered then brought back to life. Before she could stop herself, she was in the stream holding the soaked Rin to her, to comfort herself and the child from the bad memories.


	12. Beginning

_**Chapter 12:**_ _**Beginning**_

"Kagome-chan," Rin called for the woman's attention.

"Yes?"

"How come you travel with Lord Sesshomaru's half-brother?"

"Well, Rin-chan, I met Inuyasha when he was pinned to the Goshinboku. I apparently had the Jewel of Four Souls in my body, and a horrible demon ripped it out of me. I didn't know how to fight the demon so I released Inuyasha so he could kill it. He tried to kill me at first, but a friend of mine Kaede-baa-san put a rosary on Inuyasha's neck and I was able to stop him.

"He stayed by my side cause I had the jewel and a couple days later, I accidentally broke it trying to get it back from a crow who had stole it from me. After that we decided to look for the shards together, he was strong enough to fight demons and I could see the jewel shards. Eventually we became good friends, and met our other companions along the way."

"Like the little fox boy," Rin asked brightly.

"Yep. We met Shippo, Miroku-sama, Sango and her twin tailed cat demon Kirara."

"And now you have me."

She wrapped her arms around the young girl, "and now I have you."


	13. About An Imp

_**Chapter 13:**_ _**About an Imp**_

"Do you like Jaken, Rin-chan?"

"He can be annoying sometimes and sometimes he is rude, but Master Jaken cares about me in his own way."

"He tried to protect us when we left. I'm sure he was able to get out of there fine, seeing as they were merely trying to spook us, not harm us."

Rin felt reassured that her worries were addressed, "I hope so. Master Jaken is always there for me when Lord Sesshomaru needs to be elsewhere."

"Who knows," Kagome smiled at the small girl, "maybe Jaken and Ah-Un will find us before Lord Sesshomaru or Inuyasha."

"Ah-Un would know how to find Lord Sesshomaru," Rin exclaimed excitedly, "he would be able to take us home!"

Home sounded nice to Kagome, and oddly enough the word didn't provoke thoughts of the future. Instead it brought with it images of Kaede's hut, filled with her friends, laughing over a bowl of Kaede's wonderful stew. How she missed them, but still, being here with Rin was just as rewarding in it's own way.


	14. The Future

_**A/N:**_ _ **So the timeline for this story, I tried to follow it almost completely according to the Inuyasha wiki. Kagome was said to be born in the year 1982 in the anime, so I just went with that.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 14:**_ _**The Future**_

"How come you don't wear a kimono," Rin asked curiously as she watched her guardian put on her odd clothing.

"Well, we never really had the money to buy me one," she shrugged, tugging her dark blue shirt and black skirt back into place, "so I've always had to wear clothes from my home instead."

"Your home?"

She only thought about it for a moment before she decided that Rin was more than okay to know her secret. The young girl wouldn't tell another soul, and even if she told Jaken or Lord Sesshomaru, neither would believe her. So it wouldn't hurt anything, she was growing to love the child dearly, and she just couldn't bring herself to lie.

"I'm not from this time," at Rin's confused look she continued, "there is a well in Edo, that when I jump into it, it takes me five hundred years into the future and that is where I'm from. I live on a Shrine in the year two thousand. Things are much different there than here. Clothing like this is acceptable, almost consider conservative. Where as here, this isn't seen so highly, but we barely ever have money, so I'd rather not waste it on a kimono that would need replaced every few months."

"Are you going to go back to the future?"

"I go back sometimes," Kagome offered, "but I don't stay. Between you and me, I think I belong here."

"I think so too," Rin wholeheartedly agreed.


	15. Mama

_**Chapter 15:**_ _**Mama**_

Several weeks had passed since they had settled down in their den. With so many food sources and a fresh water source nearby the pair hadn't needed to venture more than a few feet from the hole in the ground during their stay. It gave them a sense of peace and safety. So seeing Rin suddenly act so nervous, highly upset Kagome.

"Rin-chan, what's the matter?"

The little girl bit her bottom lip and toed the grass nervously, "I was wondering."

"About?"

"What does the little fox boy call you?"

"Shippo? He calls me mama," Kagome told her, "he was just barely orphaned when we found him. His father had been killed by a pair of thunder demons. Inuyasha killed the demons for Shippo and he came with us since he had nowhere else to go. One day he called me mama on accident, and I told him if he thought of me that way I'd be more then happy to be his mother. So ever since he continued calling me mama. How come?"

"Could… Could I… call you… mama," Rin nervously whispered causing Kagome to strain to hear.

She was pleasantly shocked and she smiled brightly, "of course you can, Rin-chan."

"Really," excited nervous brown eyes locked with happy blue.

"Really."

"Mama," she cried out in happiness, throwing herself into her mother's embrace.

Happy tears were shed by both as they held each other. She hoped that with their bond being so strong now that Sesshomaru and Inuyasha wouldn't force them to part. She couldn't see her day without the bright bubbly little girl, and she didn't want to. She wanted to keep her daughter close to her at all times.


	16. Impossible Trail

_**Chapter 16:**_ _**Impossible Trail**_

Only a couple days after Kagome and Rin's escape found two groups, one consisting of five individuals and the other of only three, standing in front of an empty lifeless Shiro. Kagura had informed them a few days prior that Naraku had, had the two female companions kidnapped to use as a ransom to get the brothers to terminate their alliance.

After discussing their options they decided that they would pretend to break the alliance, the brothers would fight like usual in hope to doop the half-demon into believe they were no longer working together. Of course, they would still fight together in the final battle, but Naraku didn't need to know that little detail.

However, before the mock battle could commence, Kagura appeared before them with news. Kagome and Rin had escaped and even Naraku had been unsuccessful in tracking them down. Knowing the brothers would go through hell and back for their companions the spider had fled the Shiro, so Kagura showed them to it and then took her leave.

"They can't have gone far," Sango spoke up breaking the silence, "Kagura said Kagome was injured."

"Knowing Kagome-sama, she would have pushed through the pain in order to get Rin and herself to safety," Miroku offered.

"Mama wouldn't leave Rin to fend for herself, and she would be so worried about her, she wouldn't care if she got hurt as long as Rin was safe," Shippo nodded.

Sesshomaru hoped what the monk and fox kit were saying was true. He knew if he killed the young priestess for leaving his ward defenseless it would be that much harder to defeat Naraku. A sick feeling entered his stomach at the thought of Rin possibly dying, there were no more means to revive the child if she died. Pushing the odd feelings he always got when Rin was in danger aside, he moved around the Shiro in hopes to find their scent trail.

He was surprised when his half-brother walked with the rest of the group behind him. The half-demon was placing a lot of trust in him to find their missing companions. It took a while but eventually he was able to find a very faint trail that led into the forest. They followed it as quickly as they dared, trying desperately not to lose it.

Their hopes were in vain when the trail ended at a stream. At that point, their scents completely and utterly vanished from the air. Their only clues were a ripped piece of Rin's kimono and Kagome's blood on a bush and their matching footsteps as they had waded into the cold water.

"Hoshi-sama, Shippo and I will take Kirara and fly low around the surrounding area," Sango offered.

"I'll head north," Inuyasha gestured towards upstream.

"Jaken, take Ah-Un and fly overhead as well," Sesshomaru ordered the imp before he started heading south.

The group disbanded and several hours later regrouped from whence they had came.

"Nothing," Inuyasha grumbled, his ears laying flat on his head.

"We didn't see anything either," Miroku said regrettably.

"I'm sorry Lord Sesshomaru, forgive this lowly servant," Jaken bowed low to his lord, a part of him hurting in ways he never felt before knowing he had lost Rin.

"You didn't see anything either," Inuyasha fought back a pained whimper.

"Hn," was Sesshomaru's only reply.

They had all lost someone special to them. Kagome was a best friend to two, a sister to one and a mother figure to another. Rin was a daughter and a friend. And both were missing, and none of them had been able to find a thing.

"There has to be something," Inuyasha snarled, "anything! They couldn't have just vanished and as there is no other scents here besides Naraku and we know he doesn't have them, they weren't just carried off by something!"

"Calm down my friend," Miroku set a hand on the half-demon's shoulder, "we will find them. We just have to go further in our search."

"Maybe, a group should head south, a group should head north and a group should head west and in half a moon cycle we should all meet back here to see if any of us have found them," Sango suggested.

It took them several minutes to discuss everything before the plans were made. Inuyasha and his group would head south. Inuyasha and Miroku would take the easy side of the stream while Sango, Shippo and Kirara would fly over the west. Jaken and Ah-Un would fly north over the water and Sesshomaru would head west. If they had somehow made it to the western lands, he was the only one that knew them best.


	17. Not Over

_**Chapter 17:**_ _**Not Over**_

After half a moon-cycle had passed the three groups had converged into one on the side of the small stream that had seemingly stolen their friends from them. All of them had returned empty handed. There was no telling if their friends were even still alive. Kagome was hardly a battle hardened fighter, and while she knew how to survive she had never had to test her skills and Rin was just a child.

"We aren't giving up," Inuyasha yelled in absolute frustration, "I don't care if Naraku finds all of the shards, there is no way in hell that Kagome is dead and I'm not leaving her out there any longer then we have to!"

"No one said anything about giving up, Inuyasha," Sango told him seriously, "I'm sure none of us want to give up."

"We are gonna have to spread our search more," Miroku informed them, "we need to explore away from the stream, going deeper and further out into the actual land."

"Your group will search the entire south," Sesshomaru informed them, "I will take the west and Jaken will take the North."

"How often should we meet up and where," Sango asked, not offended in the least that Sesshomaru was taking charge.

"Every moon cycle, here," he told them, "we will use this point as a reference to where we have already explored."

"It could take many moon cycles to locate them," Miroku pointed out.

"As long as they are located," liquid gold eyes narrowed on the monk making him swallow nervously.

"Of course."


	18. Found

_**Chapter 18:**_ _**Found**_

Kagome was certain that four or five months had already passed since the two had first been kidnapped. It was kind of lonely, just the two of them out in the middle of nowhere. A month ago, Kagome had felt comfortable enough that they searched a little further from their den to see if they could locate a village, but they had found nothing but forest.

However, against all odds they endured and made the most of their not so great situation. Kagome had gotten better at close quarters combat, something she had, had to learn. Several times smaller demons had either tried to make their den their home while they were outside, or had slipped in during Kagome's sleeping hours.

She had even taught Rin a thing or two about fighting, just enough that if she really needed to she could protect herself. Which had occurred when a small demon had slipped in unnoticed while Kagome was sleeping and startled the young child. Kagome had woken up with a start to the sound of a death wail near her head after Rin had stabbed a sharpened stick through the demon's eye.

Best of all, Kagome had learned how to better manage and control her reiki. And Rin they had found out was also a priestess, though her powers were only just budding. The young girl joined her mother regularly in meditation in hopes to prepare herself for when her reiki finally fully bloomed during puberty.

While they had fought many demons during their months stranded from their groups, it had only ever been lower level ones. Weak ones that were easily taken down. Now, however, the demon that was approaching their den was anything but. It's youki was strong and powerful and it sent a shiver of fear down Kagome's spine.

She knelt on one knee in front of the opening of their den her makeshift bow raised, an arrow nocked and ready to fire. She feared that only one arrow wouldn't be enough to kill the demon, and hoped that it would slow it down long enough for her to fire another. Her heart beat faster in anticipation when the barest flicker of movement was seen just beyond the treeline.

Her lungs stopped the moment she saw the great demon lord step into view. How many times had she wished for this to happen? How many days had she laid awake at night praying someone, anyone, would find them? Tears built in her blue eyes and slide down her cheeks as her weapon fell out of her listless fingers.

Cold golden eyes studied the woman before him. She had looked fierce and determined when he had first seen her, every bit a hardened warrior even if she was dressed in those odd clothes of hers. While the clothes looked stained and tattered, she was still clean and healthy.

When he had come into her view, the scent of her fear and determination vanished only to be replaced with relief and joy. He had never thought that his brother's priestess would ever be happy to see him, but having been missing several moon cycles now it was to be expected. She wanted her friends as much as they wanted her.

When Kagome had first laid eyes on Sesshomaru at the tender age of fifteen, it had struck fear so deep into her heart she never thought there wouldn't be a time she wouldn't feel terror in his presences. Now, seeing him again, at almost eighteen years old, knowing he had an alliance with Inuyasha and would guarantee her safe return to her friends, he looked like a god, like a guardian angel sent out to rescue them.

Not a single silver hair out of place, his pointed ears, his aristocratic face, the bright magenta stripes on his cheek, the half moon on his forehead, his cold and yet not completely emotionless golden eyes highlighted with the same magenta on his upper eyelids, his velvet soft looking lips settled into his usual flat expression. His armour shined in the afternoon sunlight, partially hidden by his long pelt, his white attire made him look as if he was glowing, the red on his clothes stuck out vividly along with his yellow and purple sash, and his two swords sat comfortably on his left hip next to his empty sleeve. Even missing an arm, he was still perfect, he was still their saviour, and she would never forget it.

"Rin-chan," Kagome said softly, as she collapsed from her kneeling position to a sitting one.

Seconds later a small head poked out of the hole Kagome had been hiding from Sesshomaru's view. His expression on his face for a moment warmed up, before he was able to clamp down on his emotions. Rin pulled herself from the den, she was in a stained and tattered kimono, but she was clean and healthy. Her entire body radiated happiness, as she cut through the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist.

He laid a hand on her shoulder, assuring her that he was there. He felt no need to move her, no one was around to witness this moment of weakness that would use it against him. Realizing that the priestess had spent the last several moon cycles caring for his ward and providing protection to her had unintentionally forced him into her debt. And simply returning her to her friends wouldn't cover it, as he had already promised her safe return to his half-brother.

"Priestess," Sesshomaru's curt tone tore away the happy silence that had settled around them.

"Yes?"

"Come."

He was surprised when Rin pulled away from him and spoke up, "but mama sleeps at this time and if you make her walk she will get really tired. Can we wait till night time when mama won't be so sleepy?"

His eyebrows rose into his bangs in shock, which he quickly schooled back into his usual impassiveness. Rin called the young priestess her mother? Had the woman became that important to Rin in such a short time? Would their groups be able to separate the two when the time came to part ways? Somehow, he had a feeling that the answer was no.

"It's okay Rin-chan," Kagome opened up her arms and her daughter easily climbed into her lap, cuddling up to her, "I'll be okay."

"Then we leave," Sesshomaru commanded.


	19. Gratitude

_**Chapter 19:**_ _**Gratitude**_

"Lord Sesshomaru," Kagome spoke up softly.

Rin was currently playing in a meadow filled with flowers, a much loved pastime that she had been unable to indulge in the last few months. Sesshomaru sat next to Kagome under the shade of a tree, keeping an ever watchful eye on the youth. He would not allow Naraku to snatch her again, twice was two times too many.

"Hn."

He was mildly surprised that the usually talkative priestess had refrained from speaking directly at him for the past two days. She indulged Rin in conversation often, but seemed almost nervous whenever she attempted to conversate with him, though he could see she desired to.

"I was wondering… when we would see my friends, if it's okay to ask."

Now that was odd, he had never heard the proud woman talk like so. She was very familiar and friendly with all of her packmates, she was always very headstrong and she never hesitated to state her opinion. Perhaps she understood and respected his station now that they were no longer enemies.

"We agreed to meet at the Shiro in a little under a moon cycle from now."

"I'm sorry."

"For?"

"In a way it was my fault that Rin got kidnapped."

"How so?"

"Cause Kagura tried and failed to kidnap me the first time and dropped me nearby Rin's camp and when Rin found me she tended to my wounds. It was that very day that Kagura attacked us with a large horde of demons and lured us away from Jaken and Ah-Un. But, at the same time, I'm glad I was there. Rin would have been terrified if she had been in the Shiro all by herself."

"Regardless, she would have been taken," Sesshomaru told her plainly, "with you there, you both were able to escape."

"Yeah," Kagome smiled, "we did. My left shoulder had been dislocated, but Kagura fixed that the day she brought us to the Shiro. I almost didn't make it out the window when we escaped, but I couldn't leave Rin alone out here. I forced us to travel the entire night in that cold stream and only left the water that next morning. I'm surprised we didn't get sick."

"You traveled in the water the entire night?"

"Rin slept on my back as I walked," she nodded, "it was uncomfortable and hard to keep going, but I didn't want to end up back there again. After that, we decided to head west, because of you being the Lord there, we hoped we could maybe run into you or something. So I covered us in mud to hide our scents and we traveled only at night and during the earlier parts of the morning. I slept in the afternoon and Rin slept while we traveled at night."

"How many nights did you travel?"

"Six nights," Kagome told him, "finally we came across that den, and it was perfect. The stream was stocked with fish and many animals used it for their water source, and there were plenty of bushes and plants that had berries, so we were in a really good spot. It only occurred to me that if I was successful in losing Naraku, that it might make it really difficult for us to be found when we finally made our camp but by then it was too late to fix it."

"You did well."

"Thank you," Kagome smiled brightly at him, "And thank you for everything. You really don't have to take me back to my friends, but you are and that means so very much to me. And also for letting me talk to you. While Rin and I weren't alone, it got lonely for us sometimes. It's hard to be around just one other person and have no one else when you are used to having so many people around you. For a while it started to feel as if we were the only two left, even though we knew that wasn't true."

"You need not thank me."

"It's only polite," Kagome told him easily, "besides, I am thankful and I wouldn't want to seem ungrateful after everything you had done for me."

"I promised my half-brother."

"Still," she laughed softly, "promise or not, you are doing something wonderful for me and unfortunately my words are the only things I have that I give you to show my gratitude."

He watched her as she laughed, finding himself enthralled with the imagine she created. Her entire face glowed in joy as her eyes sparkled with it. Her plush red lips opened wide to allow the sound it's escape, and he could see her small pink tongue nestled behind surprisingly bright white teeth. Her black hair fell in delicate waves down her back, and the sun shined on them highlighting a blue halo around the top of her head. He had never seen it before, but now that he looked, he could see she was beautiful.

He knew she was loyal to a fault, proud, loving and protective. He also knew she had a very quick temper, a loud mouth and an absolute conviction on her beliefs. But, before, he had only ever seen her as the young priestess who was stubbornly loyal to his idiotic half-breed half-brother.

Away from Inuyasha, he had seen her. The wonderful doting mother, the bright smiles, the happy full of enjoyment laughs, and the hope filled blue doe eyes. She wasn't as stupid as she had first appeared to him, infact he had found she was actually highly educated. She also had amazing manors, something he had once believed she lacked due to her insubordination towards him, but found she had only acted that way because he had been perceived as the enemy and she had figured he didn't deserve respect.

If he was forced to remain in her proximity due to Rin's inability to let the young priestess go, he didn't think he would mind too much. On the other hand, where the priestess went, the half-demon was sure to go, along with the monk and the slayer. The fox kit could be tolerated as he would be a good playmate to Rin.

He had no doubt that the monk would show deference to him, but his wandering hand would prove to be an annoyance at the best of times. The slayer was likely to ignore his existence all together, which wouldn't bother him so much as long as that didn't encourage Rin's adoptive mother into such behavior. Rin would be upset if she had to play go-between with her parental figures.

His half-brother would prove the be the most difficult. While they had formed an alliance, there was no love between the two. Both were Alpha of their own pack, and if their packs merged Sesshomaru would become the soul Alpha. He wasn't sure Inuyasha would be okay with giving his elder brother that much power over him, but then again, he desired the priestess back in his care enough to forego shard hunting.

"What are you to my half-brother, priestess," Sesshomaru questioned.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you his intended mate?"

Her eyes widened and then she laughed again, "no, no. Nothing like that! Inuyasha is my best friend."

"Best friend?"

"Well yeah," she nodded, "I mean, there was a time where I thought I was in love with him, but eventually I realized that while I love him, it isn't in a romantic way. After that we grew really close. It's hard to explain. He is there when I need him and I'm there when he needs me, and we just are."

"Hn."

"Inuyasha and Miroku-sama are my best friends, Sango is my sister and Shippo is my son," she told him, "our group just fits together. We love each other so much, and we want each other to be safe. We protect each other fiercely and if we get hurt, it just shows how much we are devoted to our cause. Like Inuyasha says, we are pack."

"And Rin?"

"Is my daughter," she told him firmly, "and I hope that she and I don't have to part ways after everything we have been through. I love her, very much. And I want to be there for her."

She was very loyal indeed, and he wondered what it would be like to have her loyalty. She would make a wonderful addition to his pack. A pack that had sorely been non-existent for many centuries do to the conniving nature of his mother. She had been so fearful that he would find a mate and remove her from her throne that she had convinced him that he had no need for a pack. Rin had proven his mother's words false when she had followed him so willingly after he revived her, and now again by accidently bringing this priestess more firmly into their lives.

He would not separate the mother and daughter, and he would do his best to convince his brother that their packs needed to be combined. Together, they would all be able to ensure everyone's safety much better than they could apart. And it was all thanks to Naraku, he had wanted to keep the two brothers apart and had unintentionally brought them even closer together.


	20. Kimono

_**A/N:**_ _ **I was asked by Montara if I would be continuing A Chance To Change Fate, the answer is yes. I'm not going to completely abandon the story. However, at this time I'm still having really bad writers block when it comes to the next chapter. So, I'm not sure yet when the next chapter might make it out. I don't want to force myself to write it, because then it will just be crap and I don't want that. So if any of you who read this story also read the other one, thank you so much for your patience. Also, thanks for sticking with me with this story as some days I just totally forget if I've posted a chapter or not. I mean to update everyday, it just sometimes doesn't happen. So sorry about that! I'm just forgetful, cause I've gotten all the way to chapter 32 already! I'll try to be more proactive about the updates!**_ __

* * *

 _ **Chapter 20:**_ _**Kimono**_

They came upon a village during their third day of travel. At first Kagome thought that they would avoid the town, but was pleasantly surprised when Sesshomaru led them straight to it. As they had no need to travel quickly, he paid for them to sleep a night at the inn. It was unsurprising that he only paid for one room, but Kagome couldn't help but feel bad that he was sacrificing his comfort just to make sure they were safe, yet she was still grateful.

Rin and Kagome took full advantage of the inn's hot spring, enjoying a bath in hot water for the first time in months. The elder was just happy to finally have some of the odd olden day bathing supplies to actually clean her body with. Once the two were clean, they dressed and headed back to their room.

Sesshomaru waited for them and set neatly on one of the three futons on the floor were two very beautiful kimonos. Rin's was done is a soft orange with beautiful yellow flowers and Kagome's was done in a deep blue with soft pink butterflies. Rin easily cried out her joy and eagerly replaced her worn kimono with her new one.

"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru," Rin exclaimed as she admired her new outfit.

"You are welcome, Rin."

Kagome moved over to him, at the seating area and knelt in front of him, giving him a stiff but deep bow, "thank you, for everything you have done for us today, Lord Sesshomaru. I don't think words can fully express the extent of my gratitude."

"Try it on," he said it in a command but his tone was soft making it seem just slightly more like a suggestion.

"Could you… Could you close your eyes, please?"

He rose an eyebrow at her, but complied. He listen to her disrobe and waited patiently for her to tell him that he could open his eyes again. He heard Rin as she settled onto a pillow beside him. She smelt of pure joy and he was pleased that something as simple as buying her a new kimono could make her so happy.

"Um… Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Hn."

"You can open your eyes, if you want to. Thank you, for closing them for me. I know that it's a silly request, but…"

His eyes fluttered open the second she gave her permission. She stood before him, nervously fidgeting as she stammered out her gratitude for him to have followed her request for privacy. The kimono looked amazing on her. She was absolutely breathtaking when dressed in an outfit that was better suited for her then the odd garments she was known for wearing.

"Acceptable."

He thought that she would get upset, or even angry, but she smiled brightly at him, "it truly is beautiful, thank you."

"You are welcome."

She moved slowly and sat down next to Rin, "this is going to take some getting used to. I haven't worn a kimono in a very long time."

"They don't wear kimonos where you are from, mama," Rin asked curiously.

"We do sometimes, but usually only for special occasions, like Obon."

"Where are you from," Sesshomaru interjected.

She smiled at him, "you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."

He merely rose an eyebrow at her in challenge.

"The future. I'm from five hundred years in the future."

His eyes narrowed on her, her scent said she was speaking the truth, "how?"

"I'm not sure really," she shrugged, "on my fifteenth birthday I was pulled down the well by a centipede demon, and when I made it to the bottom of the well the demon was gone and I was here in this time."

"And this well?"

"Is how I get back and forth. It still stands on my family's shrine grounds where I'm from. So I just jump in and it transports me, and Inuyasha if he wants, back and forth."

"The half-breed can cross?"

The look of disappointment on her face spoke volumes on her displeasure at the term he used for his brother, "yes, Inuyasha can get through. Because the times are so different and the air is heavily polluted, he only goes to the future if absolutely needed."

"What does polluted mean," Rin scrunched up her nose at the odd word.

"It means that the air is filled with nasty smells and chemicals. Inuyasha usually gets a really bad headache if he stays in the future too long. It never used to bother me, but after two years here in the past, even I can smell the pollution and it's not pleasant."

"When Naraku is defeated," Sesshomaru drew her attention once more, "where will you stay?"

"As much as the future was my home, I don't belong there anymore. I can't simply go back to my time and act as if my journey here never happened. I can't give up my children, my friends, my family, here in the past," tears suddenly leaked down her cheeks and she blushed fiercely and wiped them quickly away, "I will be sad having to say goodbye to my mother, my brother and my grandfather, but I more then likely will have to choose and the past is where I belong."


	21. Mother

_**Chapter 21:**_ _**Mother**_

The next morning they departed from the village. The night in the inn had led to some discoveries on Sesshomaru's part. He found that he enjoyed listening to the priestess talk. Her voice, when she wasn't yelling or being disrespectful, was soothing and pleasant. And it had seemed that when he began the conversation about her home it had helped loosen her up and she had spent the entire evening entertaining him and Rin with stories of the future, which oddly enough were actually tales of her past.

Now, however, that they were back on the road, it seemed that she once more felt unsure of herself in his company. Respect is all he asked for when people addressed him, and since she was showing him that he didn't mind if she indulged her need for conversation. Humans were social creatures, both her and Rin were exceptionally talkative ones, and having spent the last several moon cycles with only each other for conversation it was only natural they would want to spend the time traveling with inane conversations.

Discovering that he didn't like her shyness and nervousness around him was startling. He had never seen her so fidgety in all the time he had known her. Sure he had seen her slightly shaking in fear as she stood up to him, weapon in hand, but she hadn't backed down even if she had been scared. Yet, here she was timid and afraid to simply start a conversation with him. She could stare him down in battle, but she couldn't speak with him? Why?

At first he had been confused as to why he would care about what she felt around him, until he remembered that Rin was his packmate, his daughter, and she had adopted this priestess as her mother, thus making her a part of his pack. And packmates should never fear their alpha. Their alpha was there to care for them, provide for them, and tend to them, not frighten them and make them uncomfortable.

"You had no issues speaking with this Sesshomaru last night, priestess. What has changed?"

Sesshomaru's deep voice, slightly warmer than his usual monotone, made Kagome jump. She had not expected him to address her or speak to her. She knew he was merely carrying out his promise to his brother, and she didn't think that he would want to listen to her babble on. He had seemed interested last night in her tales of her time, but then again what creature wouldn't want to hear about the future?

"I," she swallowed nervously, "didn't want to bore or upset you by talking too much. Inuyasha used to complain that I talked too much and I didn't want to impose."

His half-brother had told her that she spoke too much? It seemed to be a sore spot as her shoulders suddenly sagged a little and her head tipped down to hide her face. He had no need for constant conversation, but her voice was pleasing enough that he wouldn't mind the silence being filled by it. And if her talking to him helped ease her nervousness and fear of him, he would encourage it. After almost two years of listening to Rin talk constantly, silence was something he only ever got outside of the young girl's presences and he didn't have much need for it anymore.

"Do you always take everything he says to heart," Sesshomaru implored, curious to her answer.

The simple question stopped the priestess in her tracks. Did she always take everything Inuyasha said to heart? Thinking over the last two years, the only answer that she could find was, yes. Everything he had ever told her, how she wasn't good enough, not pretty enough, too loud and obnoxious, too needy, always in the way, always in danger, it had all stuck with her.

Most of it wasn't even true! She was to good enough, wasn't she? She had survived two whole years in this unforgiving era without any training to start and having to learn as she went. In the beginning she had been in the way sometimes and was always in danger, but now not so much. She knew when to move, when to act, and when to fight or flight. She wasn't a timid fearful little girl anymore. And yeah, she was in danger a lot, but this last time she had gotten both her and Rin out as safely as she could, that had to count for something!

"I don't know why," she told him honestly, "I guess, because I thought I was in love with him, I wanted him to like me. I wanted to make him proud. Now, I want to make him proud just because he is my friend and I care about him, but… his words always were harsh, and I understood why. I mean, his life hasn't been easy."

"That does not excuse such deplorable behavior," Sesshomaru remarked.

"You are right," she smiled brightly at him, "it took a long time for me to be able to see past the words and look more at his actions to understand what he meant. Now, I know him better. I know he doesn't actually get annoyed when I talk, he just… doesn't like it when I get emotional. He doesn't like to see me cry. So he tells me to shut up cause I'm being annoying. He shouldn't talk like that, cause it sometimes does hurt my feelings, but I don't hold it against him. He raised himself for who knows how long and I'm pretty much his first real friend. He has improved over the past two years, he is losing his harshness bit by bit. Who knows, maybe in a couple more years he might have some decent manors."

If Sesshomaru wasn't such a dignified demon lord, he would have snorted, "Hn."

She laughed, the sound wild and free, soothing him in ways he couldn't quite understand, "okay, so maybe that's pushing it. But, despite all his rudeness and harsh exterior, Inuyasha is a wonderful guy."

Sesshomaru had no response for her, so they continued walking in silence. Her nervousness was gone, but her fear was still slightly present. He wondered for a moment what he would need to do to fully rid her of this fear of him. Her scent, shockingly enough, was very sweet and calmed his beast in ways nothing else ever had. The scent of her fear tainted it just slightly and made the calming effect disappear completely, it was unsettling.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she drew his attention back to her, "can I speak openly?"

He rose an eyebrow at her, "yes."

"To be honest," her throat constricted slightly, "I know you promised Inuyasha my safe return and I don't doubt for a second that you wouldn't uphold that. I get nervous talking to you, because I'm afraid I'll speak out of bounds and you will get upset with me. If we had been in this situation over a year ago, I would have worried that you would kill me if I spoke without permission. Now, however, I don't fear death. But, you now have something that could hurt me worse than physical pain. I don't think I could bare being parted from Rin-chan, and I fear upsetting you and making you leave with her."

"You are afraid that I will take her from you?"

"I'm afraid to lose her. I'm afraid you will think I'm unfit to be her mother and you will take her and leave and I'll never see her again. I love her, just as I love Shippo," tears slipped silently down her cheeks, "and all this time away from him has been so painful. I don't want to go through it again with Rin."

A constricting feeling made itself apparent in his chest, "you have my word, priestess, I will do what I can to keep you two together."

Shocked blue eyes clashed with slightly warmed gold, "Really?"

He gently inclined his head, a nod she would not have noticed had she not been looking at him, "every child needs a mother."

A beautiful bright smile spread across her face, even with the tears and slightly red puffy eyes, she was gorgeous, absolutely breathtaking. She was human, that was certain, but she had something about her. The way she showed her emotions, the way her eyes seemed to sparkle with delight, the bright endearing smile, the loving voice and the joyful laugh, all combined to make her more beautiful than any demoness he had ever seen. While they had beauty, they were usually cold, uncaring, cruel, and usually driven by the need for power and wealth. While Kagome simply wanted nothing more than the joys of life, of living. She asked for nothing and gave everything. She was unique and he wasn't afraid to admit that to himself.


	22. Edo

_**Chapter 22:**_ _ **Edo**_

After Sesshomaru had promised not to remove Rin from Kagome's care, if he could help it, the priestess opened up to him. Her and Rin easily filled the silence. Both taking turns either having conversations with the stoic demon lord, or simply talking to each other. Rin spent a lot of her time telling him all she had done during the last several months without him. Kagome talked about that time as well, but often implored him to talk about what he had been doing while they were away.

She felt guilty that she had taken so much of his and her friends time in pursuit to find her and Rin. Unfortunately it couldn't be helped, she couldn't have left a trail for her friends to follow but she still felt bad all the same. She refused to tell him how she felt, she didn't want him to think she was ungrateful, when she was anything but. It made her happy to know he cared for Rin enough to spend months looking for her non-stop.

Since last night, when she had spent the entire evening talking about her home in the future, a question had stayed in the the back of her mind. A part of her wanted to ask, but another part of her wanted to wait. She toyed with the idea until she just couldn't stop the words from forming.

"I was wondering, how far is Edo from here?"

"If we headed south it would take two days at our current pace."

"That means it's pretty out of the way then?"

"Speak plainly, priestess," he ordered.

"I would like to visit Edo if it isn't too much trouble. If it is, I understand, and I can wait. It's just... you said my friends wouldn't be at the shiro till about three weeks from now and I haven't been home to see my mother in about half a year and I'm sure she thinks I'm dead by now."

"Rin," he called the young girl, whom was skipping ahead of them on the trail, "come."

She didn't even question him when he suddenly changed their direction. She was so loyal that she trusted his decisions no matter what they were or why they were made. She followed happily knowing she was safe in his care. Kagome smiled at the sight of her daughter easily skipping forward to head the small group. Sesshomaru wasn't letting her lead, merely making her stay in his sight to keep her protected at all time. His beast was still upset that something had happened to his ward and his instincts told him to keep her in sight to make sure she was safe.

"Thank you."

To show her gratitude, momentarily forgetting they weren't actually friends, she reached forward sliding her small hand into his larger one and squeezed it. The demon lord froze at the contact, his eyes slightly widened as he glanced at the female who was holding his hand. Only Rin had ever freely touched his person before, and the first time she had done so had been just as shocking as this very moment was.

Kagome blushed brightly when she realized what she had done, "I'm so sorry! I just wanted to show my gratitude and I completely forgot…"

As she spoke she had tried to pull her hand from his and her words died in her throat when his long fingers enclosed over the back of her hand holding it in place. He found he rather liked the contact, it felt warm and comforting. Physical affection had been something he wasn't given much of in his life, until Rin. As a dog demon, he craved it. Though, he was loath to admit such a need as he saw it as a weakness thus did not pursue it. But, with the priestess beside him and the little girl in front of him, he had to wonder was it a weakness? His father had said strength would come if he had something to protect, and he now definitely had a pack to protect.

Her blush deepened further, while she had held the hands of all of her friends, holding hands with Sesshomaru felt much different. There was something more to it. Afraid to put a name to the feeling that was gently fluttering in her stomach, she decided to force herself into thinking about something else. But, all thoughts kept disappearing leaving her with nothing but the warm rightfulness where her palm tingled pleasantly against his.


	23. Temporary Parting

_**A/N:**_ _ **Happy Mother's Day!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 23:**_ _**Temporary Parting**_

As Sesshomaru had predicted it had taken them two days to finally make it to Edo. The entire trip had been made with Kagome and Sesshomaru holding hands. When she had first grab his hand she had been afraid she had upset him and was surprised to find he didn't mind. He continued to hold her hand until they stopped for the night.

The next morning when they had begun walking again, she took her place beside him like she usually did and she was shocked almost to the point of tripping over her own feet when he had very gently entwined their fingers. The new more intimate feeling of the exchange had caused the feelings in her stomach to flutter once more.

And from that point on, as long as they were walking, her hand was enclosed in his. Sesshomaru couldn't name the feeling that came with the simple innocent contact, and he refused to think on it. Whatever it was, it wasn't important if he couldn't recognize it right away. All he was aware of was how good it felt, how right it felt.

As soon as they reached the well however, it became apparent that the little group would have to be separated for a couple of days. The thought of the priestess being somewhere he couldn't protect her bugged him greatly. He was curious, however, to see how his beast would react to be out of her presence now that it had grown accustomed to her calming scent and her soothing voice.

"Mama," Rin whimpered, not liking the idea of being separated from her mother.

"I will be back in a few days," Kagome felt as if her heart was being ripped from her chest and stepped on, "I promise. There is nothing dangerous in my time, so I'm perfectly safe. I just need to return home to tell my mom I'm safe and get some supplies. I need extra clothes, some food would be nice as we have been skipping lunch while we travel and that isn't healthy, and I'll even bring you something special, okay?"

"Okay," Rin hugged her mother fiercely, not wanting to let go.

Finally Kagome was able to pry herself gently away from her daughter and turned to the silent demon lord. The odd look in his eye gave her pause.

"Is something wrong," Kagome asked.

"You and Rin said nothing about needing a mid-day meal."

"Oh," Kagome smiled at him, "we didn't want to be a burden. It's just, you know, us weak humans get hungry more often and we need to eat more than once to twice a day."

His eyes narrowed slightly, Rin had never mentioned being hungry around mid-day. She had been traveling with him for two years and had never once complained. And yet, looking at the young girl now, she seemed to have more weight on her body, looking healthy instead of slightly too thin. He had always believed that she was simply thinner than most young humans, now he knew it had been because he had not known they required more substance and had neglected an important meal time.

"Please don't look like that," Kagome reached forward and squeezed his hand then released it, "you don't need to eat three meals a day, and since neither of us spoke up there was no way you could have known."

His face went back to it's usual emotionless mask, "hn."

"Would you be offended if I brought something for you from my time," she asked nervously biting her bottom lip.

"You wish to give this Sesshomaru a gift?"

"I know you said I don't need to be grateful, but I am, and I'd like to give something to show my gratitude instead of just saying it."

"Very well."

"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru."

"Hn."

With one more tear filled goodbye to Rin, Kagome turned to the well and jumped in. Both Rin and Sesshomaru stood at the lip, watching the bright blue light engulf Kagome and whisk her five hundred years into the future.


	24. Tears

_**Chapter 24:**_ _**Tears**_

Kagome walked calmly across the courtyard towards her house. Being alone, even though she knew she was in the future, made her feel exposed and vulnerable. A part of her wanted to run back to the well and return to the safety of Sesshomaru's ever watchful eye, but the other part of her knew she needed to put her mother's worries at ease.

She entered the house and removed her shoes, calling out, "I'm home!"

"Kagome," her mother cried out in joy, emerging from the kitchen, "it's so good to see you!"

Immediately she was wrapped up in her mother's warm embrace. It felt amazing being held by her mother again, and at the same time a small part of her hurt knowing that one day she would have to say goodbye for good. She fought back the tears, her mother would ask about them, and she wasn't ready to tell her that she had made the choice to remain in the past. There was no sense in upsetting her now while the well was still functional.

"Are you hungry dear, or would you rather have a bath first?"

"Food first."

Kagome followed her mother into the dining room where her brother and grandfather were sitting at the table. Breakfast was set prepared and they had been about to dig in. Both of them gave her warm welcoming smiles as she took her usual seat at the table.

"Welcome back," her grandfather greeted her.

"It's good to be back," she smiled pleasantly.

"What happened, sis? Why were you gone for so long?"

As they ate breakfast she explained what had happened the last couple of months, "I was hoping maybe I could find something to bring back for Rin and Lord Sesshomaru. Rin was really upset that I was coming home and I can't find words enough to thank Lord Sesshomaru for what he is doing for me."

"We will find something," her mother told her, concern still shining in her eyes, "maybe we should have a doctor check you over just in case, you did say you dislocated your shoulder and you used it a lot while it was injured, you might have permanent damage."

"It feels fine," Kagome told her mother, "besides, a doctor would get suspicious if we told them it happened several months ago and I'm just now seeing a medical professional."

"I know but…"

"It's okay, mom, really. I'm okay."

"How long are you staying here, Kagome?"

"Just a couple days," Kagome replied, "I only need to restock on some food and some other things."

"You said you don't have to meet Inuyasha for a couple weeks," a large frown made it's way onto her mother's face.

"Yeah," she nodded, "but I promised Rin. We haven't been separated in months and this will be hard on both of us. I don't want to stay gone too long. I miss her already."

She excused herself to go upstairs and take a nice long bath. She hadn't gotten to bathe since they had stopped at the village several days prior. She made a mental note to bathe Rin as soon as she got back if Sesshomaru hadn't. The bathtub filled as she undressed and with a pleased moan she slid down into the hot water to relax. It was difficult as thoughts of all her friends and loved ones in the past kept cropping up.

She missed them, all of them, even Rin and Sesshomaru who she had just left only two hours ago. Tears that she had held at bay for the last several months streamed endlessly down her face. She hadn't let herself cry because she needed to be strong for Rin, even while her heart hurt more and more with each passing day. Mournful sobs of loneliness and pain ripped past her lips leaving her throat feeling raw. She cried till her whole body was sore and her eyes could no longer produce any more tears. In the end she felt a great deal better after finally allowing herself to express her suppressed sadness.


	25. Gift

_**Chapter 25:**_ _ **Gift**_

The entire time she was in the future Kagome fretted about what she might get Sesshomaru. He was a demon lord, so what could she possibly get him that would interest him? Eventually she settled on a world map and a book about the causes of human illness and remedies. She figured he would appreciate the knowledge on how to protect Rin from getting sick and how to treat her if she happened to. She knew he promised to keep them together, but without Inuyasha's say so, there was still a chance they might have to part ways and she wanted to keep Rin healthy.

For Rin the gift had been easy. The child didn't have a single toy so Kagome picked out a cute doll that looked very much like Rin and a bright yellow ball. She figured Ah-Un wouldn't be weighed down by the two small items. After that, she made sure to get more paper and crayons for Shippo, Ramen for Inuyasha, Sango's favourite soda and Miroku's favourite chips. Of course, she also had to buy a new backpack as her previous one was still in the past wherever her group of friends were at the moment.

So worried was she about packing the right amount of food and gifts for everyone she completely forgot to pack more outfits for herself. It wasn't until her feet had touched down on the bottom of the well that she remember. She closed her eyes and gave off a soft groan, knowing she would have to climb the well, turn around and jump back in, go back into the house and pack the outfits and then jump back in the well just to climb out again.

Resigned to her fate, she climbed slowly up to the lip of the well. With a soft tug she pulled herself over and planted her feet on solid ground. Only a couple seconds after she found her balance was she suddenly attacked by an overly excited little girl. Tiny arms wrapped themselves around her waist and a small head pressed hard against her abdomen.

"Mama," Rin cried out in joy.

"Hey Rin," Kagome smiled brightly, wrapping her arms around the little girl's shoulders, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," she told her mother eagerly.

Kagome looked up to find Sesshomaru gently reclined against a tree, a thick white cloth on the ground beside him. She gave him a bright smile before turning her attention back to her daughter.

"I'll be right back, Rin," she laughed, "I was so worried about the food and all the gifts I wanted to grab, I completely forgot to grab clothes."

"That will not be necessary," Sesshomaru's deep voice cut in before Rin could begin pleading with Kagome to stay.

"But…"

He gestured to the bundle beside him causing blue eyes to widen. The cloth held kimonos inside it. While she was away he must have took the time to purchase her more.

"Thank you, so much. You really didn't have to, I have no way to repay you."

"There is no need for repayment."

"But…"

"Will you not accept my gift?"

Not wanting to seem ungrateful, she sighed, "of course I will accept it. I just don't think I did anything to deserve it."

"One does not need to do something to receive a gift."

Unable to argue with his logic, she gently detangled herself from Rin and sat her backpack on the ground. She reached in and brought out the doll first.

Rin's eyes light up bright and wide, "is that…"

"For you? Yes," Kagome smiled handing the new toy to her daughter.

"I've never had a doll before," she told her mother honestly.

Kagome forced herself not to frown, "well, now you have one. I know you are getting a bit older, but you still have some years left before adulthood and you should enjoy them!"

She reached back into her pack and pulled out the ball and handed it to Rin. Her eyes growing even wider. Her smile was bright and she squirmed as if she was fighting back a squeal of excitement. Glancing at the silent demon lord, she realized she probably was holding back. Rin exclaimed a joyous thank you before turning to play with her new toys.

Digging back into her bag she grabbed the two things she brought for Sesshomaru and headed over to him. Nervously she held them out to him. He raised an eyebrow and gently accepted the delicate items. She sat down next to him as he set the map on his stomach, bent his right leg at the knee and then pressed the book to it to keep it propped up while he opened it to look inside.

"I figured, if we ever had to part ways," she tried to hide the sadness that creeped into her voice, "that it would come in handy to understand how humans get sick and how to treat it."

"You can read," Sesshomaru implored, he knew she was was educated but he didn't know how far her knowledge went.

"Yeah," she smiled at him, "I can read in English too, it's a foreign language. In high school students are required to learn one."

"What is high school?"

"Oh, well, school is the place we go to learn. When you are really young you go to kindergarten, then you move up to elementary school, then middle school and last you go to high school. And if you really want a good paying job you go to College. Children start going to school at the age of five and they finish high school at eighteen. Eighteen is the age of adulthood where I'm from. College can last from one to eight years, depending on what you want to learn and anyone from the age of eighteen up can go to college at any time."

"Both males and females are allowed to attend?"

"I wouldn't say allowed," she shrugged, "it's mandatory. All children, female or male, have to attend school. Of course, in high school you can drop out and just not go, but you have to at least attend school till the end of middle school."

"Have you finished high school?"

"No," she shook her head, "I'm still in school. Though, I'm not doing very well since I'm almost always in the past. I guess, I'm lucky that Kagura kidnapped me so close to summer break, I didn't miss much."

"You are not eighteen?"

"Almost," she smiled brightly, "I turn eighteen in a couple months."

"Hn."

"I started school late because my birthday was later in the year. So, I'll already be eighteen before I graduate."

He gently closed the book before picking up the folded piece of odd styled paper. He was pleased with her thoughtfulness of the book. Having two human packmates, he would need to know how to care for them and how to treat their illnesses. The last two and a half years or so he had gotten lucky with Rin. She had only gotten sick a small number of times. However, he wasn't willing to bet that it would always be like this. He needed to be prepared just in case.

He opened the odd paper and his eyes widened at the odd coloured patterns that were laid out before him. Kagome sat silently for a moment watching him study his new map.

"I have never see a map this detailed."

Delicately she pointed to the small island on the map, "this here is Nippon," she drew a circle around all the small islands that made up the entire country, "in the future we call it Japan which is what it reads as on the map," she moved her finger to each continent as she named them, "this entire area is referred to as Asia, this one is Europe, this one is Africa, this one is Australia, this one is North America, this one is South America and this one is Antarctica. In each continent there are many countries, many more cities, and many different languages."

"This is the entire world?"

"Yep," she grinned at him, "you aren't suppose to know the entire world just yet, but I figured if you can keep my secret of being from the future, you can keep this map a secret too."

"Hn."

"I know it's daunting to look at. Japan seems huge when you are spending every single day walking across it's surface, but in reality Japan is just a tiny little island. Sometimes just thinking about it makes me feel absolutely small. The universe is huge, and I'm just one plain human girl trying to survive long enough to take down an evil half-demon bent on ruling Japan, if not the world."

He folded the map and placed it inside the book. It was nice to know what the world looked like, and yet, it seemed impossible. Was there really that much land everywhere? Was Nippon truly that small compared to the rest of the world? Kagome was pretty certain that the map was accurate, so he had to assume it was true. And that settled uncomfortably in his chest. Pushing the thought away, he turned back to his now silent companion.

He picked up the bundle he had spent her time away collecting and placed it on her lap. She looked up at him, hesitantly, before folding back the cloth to show a total of ten two layer kimonos inside. Each of them was a unique combination of colours paired with an obi that would stand out brightly against them. They were all very beautiful and she felt guilty that he had spent so much money on her.

"Thank you so much," she smiled at him, "they are amazing."

"They will suit you," he stated, as if that alone meant she had to have them.


	26. Kaede

_**Chapter 26:**_ _ **Kaede**_

"Kaede-baa-san," Kagome called out softly before she ducked under the bamboo flap of her hut.

"Kagome," the elder cried out happily, "it is so good to see that ye have been found!"

"It's good to have been found," she smiled, "do you mind if my guests come in?"

"Of course they can, child."

Knowing Sesshomaru would hear, she moved further into the hut and took her normal place. Seconds later the flap opened and Rin ducked inside, then Sesshomaru moments after her. Rin sat next to Kagome and Sesshomaru seated himself across from Kaede, next to Rin. The elder's eye widened at the sight of the demon lord before her.

"Kaede-baa-san, this is Lord Sesshomaru and my daughter Rin. Rin, Lord Sesshomaru this is Kaede-baa-san."

"Ye must be Inuyasha's older brother then."

"Half-brother."

Kagome rolled her eyes and stifled a laugh. In the time that she had been near him, she had found that he wasn't quite like what they imagined him to be. He wasn't emotionless, in fact he felt emotions just the same as everyone else, he just prefered not to show them. He wasn't unnecessarily cruel. He wasn't harsh. He was just used to everyone following his every command without fuss. As a lord he was taught to expect nothing but respect and had a hard time tolerating anyone that didn't automatically give it. In fact, to people he liked, he could be pretty caring and gentle.

"Of course," Kaede nodded at him, "how long are ye staying Kagome?"

"Uh, I'm not sure," she turned questioning blue eyes onto her temporary guardian.

"There is a little over half a moon cycle left before we must be at the Shiro."

"How long from here would that take?"

"Walking two days, flying a day."

"Would you mind us staying two weeks, Kaede-baa-san?"

"That would be fine."

"Have they come back recently," Kagome asked the question burning at the tip of her tongue.

"I have not seen them in almost two moon cycles," Kaede stated before asking, "is this the child Inuyasha said ye were kidnapped with?"

"Yes."

"And ye adopted her?"

"More like she adopted me," Kagome smiled brightly wrapping her arm around Rin.

Rin smiled back, "I asked if I could call her mama. She took care of me, bathed me, even rocked me to sleep and held me. It's nice having a mama again."

"If it wasn't for Rin, I probably would have remained in the Shiro. My left shoulder was hurting so bad, and I had barely eaten in almost three days. I just wanted to sleep for a really long time. But, I was so scared what Naraku might do to her that I forced myself through the pain to make sure we both got out safely."

She could feel Sesshomaru's golden eyes focused on her, but she chose to keep her's on Kaede who was nodding sagely.

"What was wrong with ye shoulder?"

"Kagura picked me up during a battle and since she was injured we ended up crashing. When I hit the tree, I scraped the right side of my face and I guess when my body hit the ground it did so with enough force to dislocate my shoulder. I was still able to carry Rin when we were trying to outrun a demon horde that led us right to Kagura. She popped it back into place by grabbing my arm and using it to lift me up to my feet. The pain dimmed a little bit, but not to long later I had to lift my entire body weight through a small window and then I carried Rin on my back every night for six nights. It took a couple months for the pain to finally stop whenever I used or moved my arm."

"I'm sorry mama," Rin whispered meekly.

"There isn't anything to apologize for Rin," Kagome gently kissed the crown of her head, "I wanted you safe, pain or not. So, that is what I did."

"May I look at ye, child?"

"Of course."

Sesshomaru shut his eyes without being asked and Kagome pulled down her kimono exposing her shoulder to the more experienced priestess. The elder took her time prodding and poking at the muscle around her shoulder joint on her back and chest.

"It does not seem that ye did any lasting damage. Do ye have any discomfort or pain still?"

"Nope," Kagome resettled her kimono, "thank you Kaede-baa-san, and you too Lord Sesshomaru."

He opened his eyes, and gave her a slight nod. She smiled brightly, it was nice to be acknowledged by him.

"Can I learn to do that too, mama," Rin asked curiously.

"Oh, Kaede-baa-san, Rin is a priestess too," Kagome told the elder before turning back to her daughter, "if you want to learn the healing ways, I don't see why not. I should probably learn more too, seeing as I had no clue my arm was dislocated until Kagura fixed it."

"I will teach ye what I can," Kaede told the two budding priestesses, "if that is alright with ye, Lord Sesshomaru."

"You may."

Three voices spoke together, "thank you."


	27. Show Of Faith

_**Chapter 27:**_ _**Show of Faith**_

The next morning Kaede had begun their lessons. She started with having the two help her treat some of the injured around their village. Injuries happened often, either from demon attacks or more commonly from farming tools. The farming injuries were top priority and taken care of first and foremost, which was not surprising to the priestess from the future. She understood that the dirt and other bacteria that coated the tools could easily cause infection in any wound.

Around midday Sesshomaru was surprised to find Kagome leaned up against a tree facing a herb field that Kaede and Rin were currently tending. He placed himself down beside her, raising an eyebrow in question when she turned her bright blue eyes onto his face.

"I already know all the herbs in the garden, so Kaede-baa-san said I could sit this one out. It's kind of nice just watching Rin. She is so excited it's adorable," Kagome chuckled.

He turned his gaze back to the young girl. She was taking great care with where she walked and how she touched the plants, but he could see the excitement in her eyes and the jitters that ran through her limbs she had to repress in order to be careful. He knew if she hadn't needed to be so cautious that she probably would be skipping around and plucking the plants eagerly, just as she did her precious flowers.

"It's nice just being here," she gestured to the village, a look of adoration in her eyes, "this will one day become Tokyo and will become the new capital of Japan. This village isn't even one tenth the size of what Tokyo will one day be. Edo only houses maybe sixty or more people and Tokyo will have over thirteen million! Yet, it's comforting in a way, humbling, to see the start of the city I was born in. To watch it slowly grow, increase and expand."

"Humans will become that populous," Sesshomaru questioned.

"Well, they say that in my time the world holds approximately seven billion people. I'm not sure if any of that population is demon or not because I've never met a demon in my time. I'm pretty sure they probably went into hiding, and they account for some of the world's population, but there is no way to really know for sure. But, if I had to bet anything it's that humans do out number demons, otherwise the demons wouldn't feel the need to hide."

"Hn."

"There are parts of the future I don't like thinking about," she told him honestly, "sometimes I try to just forget I'm from the future. Because some of the things I know," her voice cracked, "makes living here heartbreaking. Like what if I'm wrong? What if demons aren't hiding and humans actually grew so numerous they slayed them all," she fought down her rising tears, "I just… I can't begin to even think about that. I know so many demons, and I care for all of them. Koga, Ginta, Hakkaku and their entire pack, Ayame, Jinenji, Shippo, Inuyasha, you and so many more. I just… I can't take thinking that something might happen to all of you."

"You include this Sesshomaru in those you care for?"

She stuttered, "well… I mean… yes, I do… but, it's okay if you don't. I mean, if you don't care for me… I know… We don't really know each other. But, this time that I've spent with you, I'm grateful for it. You don't always talk much, but after so long of knowing _of_ you, it's nice to finally get a chance to really know _you_."

"You desire to know this Sesshomaru?"

Kagome squirmed, uncomfortable with having to speak her feelings out loud, "well, you have always been around since I first came to this time. You are my best friend's older half-brother and you are Rin's father figure and now she is my daughter by her choice, which means we will have to be around each other a lot for her sake.

"Yet, I have to admit, I've always wanted to know you, know your side to everything. I wanted to understand why you hate Inuyasha so much, or why you would rescue Rin and revive her after the wolves killed her. I wanted to see if what the stories I've heard and what I had seen of you was really who you truly are, or if there was something more. If there was something I couldn't see because my thoughts of you blinded me from the truth."

"Rin spoke of her death."

"Yes," Kagome frowned, "I asked her about how she came into your care and she explained being orphaned, beaten, finding you injured and then dying."

"Hn."

"Why did you revive her, Lord Sesshomaru?"

He turned his eyes to her face, curious on how she would react, "I revived her because I was curious about Tenseiga and if the sword could truly bring the dead back to life."

Her eyes widened and she stared at him with an expression mixed with confusion and upset.

"She was an odd human," he continued, "I was injured and she tried to feed me. I had no need for her generosity, and yet she gave up her food even when it was all she had left. She didn't talk, but she would smile despite the bruises that obviously caused pain when she did so. A little human girl trusted a demon that could so easily kill her without a second thought. And that oddness, that behavior that I had never seen in a human before is why I let her follow me."

"She doesn't just follow you now," the hope and pleading in her voice made his chest feel tight, he didn't like her sounding so desperate, "she has to mean something to you, doesn't she?"

"Indeed."

The look of relief that washed over the priestess' face sent a warm rush through his body, "good. She means so much to me, I would hate for her to be crushed cause the demon lord she considers her father didn't care for her."

"Did she say that?"

"That she thinks of you as her father? Yes, but she called you papa. She told me she wouldn't ever actually call you that, because she doesn't think you would approve, but she told me how she cares for you and how she never wants to leave your side."

"Hn."

That was something to think on, to consider. He thought of Rin as his own pup. How could he not? She had been with him for so long, following him everywhere he allowed her to, she would wait patiently for his return when he left, and she always greeted him with such love and adoration in her eyes when he came back. She was a part of his pack, he had claimed her as his own, but could he allow her to call him papa?

That would risk opening up issues with the other Lords, but then again, just having her follow him had already started some minor conflict. Could he continue on pretending he didn't know that she craved to have him openly accept her as his pup? He didn't think he could. If she found out he knew and didn't do anything about it, she would see it as rejection and he didn't want to hurt her. He would speak with her on it the next chance he got.

With the priestess however, she cared for him? It was a very good thing. It would make convincing his brother to merge their packs a whole lot easier. The priestess wouldn't let Inuyasha just blantly turn down the proposal, she would make him at least think it over before giving an answer. There was still a chance that despite her caring, Inuyasha and her group may still decline. That would be dealt with if it came down to it.

The main issues was her expressed want to get to know him. No one knew him. Not even Rin. Sure she traveled with him, he cared for her and provided for her, but he never spoke of himself or gave her any insight to the things of his past that shaped his present. Could he allow another living being the opportunity to learn about him? The person he was hidden under the facade of emotionlessness?

Yes, he was sure he could allow someone to know him, but was that someone Kagome? He kept his gaze on her as she smiled serenely while she watched Rin interact with Kaede. Just as Rin was, Kagome was an odd human. She was different, open and more loving and caring than any other creature he had ever met. She was strong and powerful in her own right and she did it all with her emotions written plain as day on her face. She took the one thing he believed above all else as a weakness and made it her unfathomable strength.

He had accepted her, surprisingly quite easily, as a packmate. She had proven herself capable of caring for herself and her offspring, and put him in her debt unknowingly. She had trusted him with a secret that could potentially have been dangerous for her to have told him. He could abuse her knowledge and use it to try and stop or win wars before they were fated to. And yet, she blindly trusted that he would be a demon of honor. So maybe, his show of faith to her, could be to allow her to see the demon he was hidden under the mask he had worn for centuries.


	28. Inuyasha

_**Chapter 28:**_ _**Inuyasha**_

Kagome found herself enjoying a lazy day. She lounged against the Goshinboku as Rin raced around the well chasing pretty coloured butterflies. Sesshomaru sat silently beside her, he had been a lot quieter than usual since their afternoon talk the day before. She was sure that things had been said that he needed time to think on, and was happy to give him his time to himself. Though, it wasn't truly time to himself since he refused to allow her and Rin out of his sights for fear of a repeat kidnapping.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she bit her lip nervously, afraid to bring up the topic, but still dying to know.

"Hn."

"I mentioned it yesterday, and you didn't say anything against it or respond to it, but… If you don't want to talk about it, or don't want to tell me that's fine, it's just… I mean… I…"

"Want to know why I treat my brother the way I do?"

Her eyes widened and she blushed fiercely, the pink tinge coloured her cheeks all the way to her chest, "if you don't mind."

"Hn."

Taking it as a sign that she had pushed too far, she nervously shifted and then settled back into their previous silence. She knew she really had no right to question him, but it didn't stop her from wondering what happened to cause such issues between the brothers. Inuyasha was her best friend, and if their hatred for each other could come to an end she was sure Inuyasha would be a great deal happier.

"Do you know that my mother still yet lives," he enquired.

Despite not having spoken familiarly to anyone since he was a young child, he found it incredibly easy to do so with the woman beside him. He knew she would not judge him. She would not take his conversations and store the words in her head to use them to humiliate him later. She would store them in her heart and it would make her grow fonder of him. Though, he could not understand why he desired her to care for him.

He had never noted any need for caring before in his life, and maybe having gone so long without caused him now to seek it. Rin cared for him, of course, but with the priestess it was different it let loose a wide variety of emotions, most of which he couldn't name. But, most of all, his beast seemed just as pleased with and needy of Kagome's attention.

"Oh," Kagome smiled, glad to know that not everyone she knew in the past was without even a single parent, "I bet she is beautiful."

He raised an eyebrow at her, enjoying the way that simple action caused a flush to appear on her cheeks.

"Well," she said nervously, "your father was quite handsome, and you… well," she blushed even deeper, "you don't look to much like him, so I assume you took more after your mother," she back peddled, "not saying you look feminine or anything, because you are absolutely handsome, in a very masculine way!"

Her expression suddenly shifted and she shoved her face into her hands. She was absolutely mortified! She just told Sesshomaru that she thought he was handsome! How embarrassing! Surely he knew he was handsome and he didn't need some less than average looking schoolgirl saying something that made it sound like she might possibly be interested in him!

She couldn't lie to herself, she liked him, probably even had a crush on him. She would be hard pressed not to. Sure, they had only been around each other about two weeks now, but he had shown her such kindness and had been mindful of her needs, with the stay at the inn and the kimonos. And the hand holding all the way to Edo hadn't helped her growing affection towards him at all.

But, she wasn't stupid. She was just a human, a weak and pitiful one at that. And she was about average in looks but compared to a demoness she was probably hideous. She held no hope that the strong demon lord might actually grow to like her. She was aware that her silly little crush would have to just ride it's course like the one she had held for Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru suppressed the grin that tried to make it's way onto his face. So the innocent pure hearted priestess found the dark demon lord attractive? Somehow, her admission to her attraction to him, however accidental as it was, pleased both him and his beast far more than any time a demoness had so boldly stated theirs.

"You are correct," he told her, trying to ease her embarrassment, "my mother is beautiful."

"Was she the reason you don't like humans," Kagome asked quietly.

"Hn. She disliked them, as most demons do."

"Why, because we are weak?"

"Weak," he nodded, "most smell horrible, and most are horrendously greedy."

"That isn't fair to say most," Kagome chided, "just because some of us are, does not mean most. Besides, you can't judge everyone based off a handful of people. That's why humans hate demons and demons hate humans. Because we meet one, and assume they are all like that. And it's just not so, everyone is different!"

"I see that now," he told her, watching as shocked awe spread across her face, "however, that was why my mother disliked them, and I had believed she was right."

"Lord Sesshomaru," she bit her cheek hoping he wouldn't think her rude for interrupting, "why do you say, This Sesshomaru sometimes when referring to yourself, and yet now you are using the word I?"

"Because, I do not normally speak so familiarly towards others. Was it not your wish that I speak with you in this way?"

"I'm not trying to be rude," she rushed out, "of course, I am so happy that you are opening up to me, talking to me. I was just curious."

"Hn."

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, "please, I want to hear the rest of what you were saying."

Realizing that she wasn't actually making fun of him, that she was truly curious as to his change of wording, he accepted her apology with a slight incline of his head.

"My mother's dislike of humans only grew when she found out that father was enamoured with one."

"Izayoi," Kagome breathed the name as if it was a painful memory.

"Indeed. My mother truly cared for my father. It hurt her to know that he had found another's bed in which he wished to lay. She did not hate him, however."

"She hated Izayoi."

"Correct."

"Her dislike of Izayoi, created your dislike of her," Kagome tried to reason.

"Hn. I could not understand why father would choose to lay with the human woman, when my mother who so loved him was at home. Yet, I think I may understand more now than I did then."

"Could you," she stuttered still nervous at times when speaking so openly with him, "could you explain?"

"Demons have emotions."

She chuckled softly, "I know that. I've met enough of them to know that you are the only demon I've ever met, so far, that truly appears emotionless, but I can see now that you aren't."

"Demons of power," he continued as if she hadn't said anything, "can not openly show them. They could be used against us."

"Oh," her eyes fell down to her hands that rested motionless in her lap.

"My mother could not openly show her love for him, but the hime could."

"He wanted to be cared for, he wanted to feel loved, not just know he was loved."

"Yes, dog demons are pack creatures that crave affection instinctively."

"That make sense. You guys are more closer to your animal counterparts than your more human like appearance," she nodded to herself, "dogs are very loving creatures in general."

"Hn."

She laid her hand on his arm drawing his eyes to hers, "I'm sorry. It must have been hard, watching your mother hurt because your father was sleeping with another woman."

He looked down at her small dainty hand laying so innocently on his arm. Her touch was comforting. He had no desire to remove the physical contact, infact, he wanted to encourage it. Not till Rin had he ever been okay with being touched. In the past he would have removed the limb off the offending party immediately. But, now, he understood what his father was trying to tell him. He was a dog demon, he could only fight his instincts for so long and it would seem the war that had started centuries ago with his beast was finally coming to an end. The more civilized side finally giving in.

He moved his arm, causing her to nervously begin pulling back her hand, he caught the small appendage in his own and then laid their entwined hands against his leg. He was pleased when she didn't try to put an end to the contact, instead her fingers squeezed gently and held on.

"After father died, I heard my mother speak negatively about Inuyasha a lot," he admitted, "I was angry with father for getting himself killed and for doing so while saving the woman who had caused my mother such pain, that I allowed her hate filled words to sink in. My anger only grew when I found out that the birthright I believed that would be mine was being given to the half-breed.

"I could not understand why father would give his most prized sword to his second son, to the one that had been born outside of his mating."

"You felt slighted," Kagome realized, "you felt as if your father was insulting you. That he favored Inuyasha over you. But, that wasn't the case. He knew you were strong enough, he wanted Inuyasha to stand a chance. He wanted him to survive."

"I see that now. His last words to me was asking me if I had something to protect."

"He gave you Tenseiga because he wanted you to," Kagome's mouth dropped open for a moment before she could compose herself.

"He never did conform to the standards that most the lords live by. My father was not afraid to show his emotion," he explained, "he wanted me to see I could still be strong and know love and affection, like my beast demands."

"I'm not really one to talk," she gave him a half-hearted smile, "but suppressing yourself isn't good for your health. But, that isn't my business. Though, can I ask, do you truly hate Inuyasha?"

"No. I have grown to understand my past, I have put aside my anger and forgiven my father. I can no longer hold our father's actions against Inuyasha. He has proven himself."

Tears built in her eyes even as her bright smile spread across her face, "I'm so happy. I… I can never thank you enough."

He rose an eyebrow at her, but remained silent as she struggled to put a stop to the torrent of tears that poured down her cheeks. His beast purred happily in the back of his mind, pleased that they had brought her such joy. Her scent was absolutely filled with it, calming him deeper than he had ever allowed himself to be in his life.

He could not understand why she was thanking him. Was she thankful that he didn't hate her best friend? Or was she thankful because he had for the first time in his life spilt secrets he had believed he would carry to his grave? Or was it a bit of both? While it was unclear, he wasn't about to ask for clarification.

Seeing how much she truly cared for his brother was amazing. He had never seen a creature care so deeply for another. A part of him had to wonder, if he stayed by her side like this, would she one day care for him like she did Inuyasha and the rest of her friends? The thought that she might caused a warmth to blossom in his chest and his heart to slightly pick up it's pace.


	29. Rumors

_**Chapter 29:**_ _**Rumors**_

Rumors it seemed, in the past or in the future, were better left unheeded. She thought about all the nights that her friends, Myoga, and herself sat around the campfire and talked about Sesshomaru. Most of what they talked about was absolutely nothing like the demon lord she was getting to know. She could see how people misinterpreted his motives, how they could judge him as hateful and cruel and emotionless. But, she could now see that none of it was true.

He wasn't hateful, he just didn't tolerate people who blatantly disrespected him. He wasn't unnecessarily cruel to humans, he just didn't bother himself with their pains and hardships. He left them to live on his lands and expected them to take care of and protect themselves, just like the demons. And surprisingly he wasn't emotionless at all.

He explained that his mother taught him to hide his emotions because those one and the same things could cause the other lords to find something to use against him. It explained why he had been so worried about allowing Rin to call him papa at first. And he beseeched her that just because he hid them, didn't mean he didn't have them.

His personality around others was as different as night and day compared to his personality when he was around only her. It made her feel special, treasured, that he would open himself up to her so completely. He didn't smile, but he smirked and his eyes would shine with emotion. His face wouldn't be held taut, but relaxed and responsive. Seeing him like that always took her breath away.

And the first time he chuckled, the sound was so deep so sultry, it had sent a shiver down her spine and caused heat to pool at the apex of her thighs. He had noticed her distraction and with a pleased smirk on his face inquired if she was alright. Unable to find her voice she had merely nodded dumbly and the rather smug look that it inspired caused a large amount of blood to flood her face.

The thing that shocked her the most when they were alone was his willingness, almost eagerness, to talk about his childhood and hers. He encouraged her to share her life story with him and for every story she told, he told two in return. She had inquired as to why the ratio was unfairly tipped and he pointed out that even with the two to one ratio she would still run out of memories to tell him long before he even came close; as he had over five centuries of life to draw from and she didn't even have two decades.

While she enjoyed getting to know him, listening to his childhood was difficult. He didn't really have one. Back when he was young, the western lands were in a large state of turmoil and more often than not Sesshomaru was drawn out into the many wars that were being waged. He had to learn the art of the sword and take his first life before he even met his first century.

He explained that demon age was complicated. The first couple hundred years demons aged fairly quickly and then the aging process slows to almost non-existent. At their first century they will reach the human age of approximately ten years old. By their second century they will reach the human age of approximately fifteen, which shows a dramatic decrease in the aging process. From there demons age about one human year every century, or if they are stronger sometimes it can take as many as five centuries to show any physical change.

The more she got to know the demon lord, the more she began to wonder. If Inuyasha knew that Sesshomaru's life had been a very difficult one and that he hadn't had everything handed to him on a silver platter like he believed if the half-demon would stop being jealous of his older brother. They both grew up in very harsh conditions, surviving through life or death situations on a daily basis.

She could see why Sesshomaru wanted Tessaiga, it would have made so many of the wars he had to wage easier. She could also see why Sesshomaru had been so upset as a child. He had always tried so hard to make his father proud, and there had always been a lingering sense of disappointment due to Sesshomaru cutting off his emotions as his mother had taught him to. And Inuyasha receiving such a powerful gift had been a huge slight to Sesshomaru, making him feel unworthy in his father's eyes. She was just glad that he realized now that his father was proud of him, he just wanted him to be himself. And that Tessaiga or not, his power was powerful enough on his own to protect himself and his lands.

Maybe, if Inuyasha could look at Tessaiga and truly appreciate the gift for what it really was and what it stood for, he could accept that his father had truly cared about him. It never seemed to accrue to her best friend that his father had given his life to protect him, he just blamed and hated him for making him an outcast. Shutting out the hurt of losing his father too young by claiming to hate the demon, which in turn caused Sesshomaru to be angry with the half-demon for not appreciating their father.

It was a vicious circle of hate, disappointment, and hurt feelings that kept the two, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, from actually seeing each other. But, maybe, just maybe, with her help she could bring the two estranged brothers back together. She really hoped so, because losing him and Rin would really really hurt her, just as much as being separated from her pack, her group, was doing to her now.

Rin was her daughter, by choice, and somehow that made it so much more special to her. Rin had chosen her, had asked if she could be her daughter just as Shippo had chosen her too. It made her feel important, feel loved. They could have waited and found someone else, but they had picked her to be the being that would nurture and care for them. They had picked her to be the one to love them, and she would not let them down.

And Sesshomaru, he had opened up to her. He could have chosen anyone in the world to spill his secrets to, to talk about memories he had started to forget, but he had picked her. While she was aware it was mostly in part with the fact that he believed he owed her a debt for caring for Rin, he had told her it was also because he trusted and respected her. He trusted she would keep his secrets and protect his memories from those who would wish to use them against him.

A part of her wished she didn't know this, that he had kept his distance. Because now she was just as attached to him as she was to all her friends. Her crush on him deepened each day and she feared that it would turn from just an innocent attraction to something… more. It would not be a bad thing if she loved him, if he could love her, but despite his openness, she was still nothing more than an unremarkable human girl.

As the days waned and the time for them to travel to the shiro drew closer, the more a nervous dread entered Kagome's stomach. Sesshomaru was all for their groups banning together and fighting Naraku, but he was only one of the many that would make the ultimate decision. For the first time in a long time Kagome was truly afraid she wouldn't be able to get Inuyasha to see things her way.

Her eyes locked with gold as she heard his deep, warm, baritone tell her it was time. They were leaving now, headed off to reunite her with her pack. But in truth, that was only half of her pack and she feared that in gaining that half back she was going to lose this half instead. Tears welled in her blue depths and surprising not only herself, but Sesshomaru too, she threw herself at him, her head pillowed by his pelt as she clung to his armour for dear life.

Neither being spoke, as a clawed hand ran up and down her spine in a soothing gesture. He knew how much she was hurting being separated from her friends. He had seen her cry, seen her stare off into space her scent so thick with sadness it choked him, and each time he grew to look forward to the day when that sadness would end. But, would it? Or would Inuyasha force the same kind of sadness for a similar reason onto her shoulders? A tightening in his chest almost forced a whimper of pain from his lips. He hated seeing her like this, and prayed his brother did too. Otherwise this meeting was going to go from happy to heartbreak, real fast.


	30. Love

_**Chapter 30:**_ _**Love**_

Kagome sat partially reclined against a tree and a sleeping Rin curled up in between her legs. The young child's head was cradled on her stomach, her tiny hands fisted in the fabric of her kimono on her left leg. The same side in which Sesshomaru sat next to. His hand laid gently over the backs of her clinging fingers. Kagome ran her right hand through Rin's hair, desperately soaking in this time with her on the off chance that Inuyasha would force them away.

"I'm scared," she confessed softly.

"Rin and I can tell," he told her, his tone just as low.

"She knows?"

"I'm sure she understands the situation we will be facing soon. I'm also sure she sees that you are being considerably more affectionate than usual."

Her voice cracked as she spoke on her fears, "what if he says no? What if he says you can't stay?"

"We will visit regularly. No matter his choice, I will fight against Naraku. For his past transgressions against me and mine."

"I don't know what to do," she told him pleadingly, "I don't want to lose them, but I don't want to lose either of you. I don't want…"

"You need not worry," he stopped her, "you will not lose us. We are pack even if divided."

"You promise?"

"I promise you this, Kagome."

She released a shuttering breath, and leaned against his shoulder. The fur of his pelt tickled her nose and she nuzzled into it for comfort. He moved his arm, wrapping it around behind her back, settling his only hand on the delicate curve of her waist. He watched her as her eyes slowly slid closed and her breathing evened out.

Kagome was a strong woman, but at the same time she was just as fragile in some ways. It made a part of him sad that she would be hurt if they had to split ways, but another part of him rejoiced that she cared for him, as much as she cared for Rin. Sitting here, holding her as she cradled their daughter caused a riot of emotion to flood his body. After all these centuries, he finally knew what his father told him he would miss if he accepted his mother's teachings.

He was unsure just what he felt for the beautiful priestess. Sure, he found her attractive and he very much enjoyed her feisty spirit, but was that all? Did he just consider her a pack mate or was she able to be something more? But, what more was there? He could give her the position in his pack as Alpha Bitch, but somehow, he didn't see her allowing a male, even if it was him, to pup her without mating her.

He knew that she wasn't the kind of woman that would crave power and riches, like most demonesses would. A demoness would enjoy and crave to be Alpha Bitch, to lay with him at whim and provide his heir, because most demonesses didn't actually care about emotions or feelings.

But, Kagome was the embodiment of emotion, she never shied from them, always feeling them and just accepting them, whatever they may be. She was the kind that would want a mating. That would want love and affection. That would crave pups to care for, instead of pawning them off on servants as demonesses were wont to do.

But, he didn't even know the first thing about love. In fact, he didn't even know half of the emotions he experienced in her presence. He knew he craved her affection, he craved her attention, and he enjoyed every single moment with her. But, that wasn't love… was it? Those were just normal things to crave from a pack mate, right?

Maybe, he would have to speak to her on love. A woman so full of that particular emotion could help him understand, couldn't she? She knew his past, surely she would understand that he had no concept of that feeling outside of his parents. And he knew from experience that no matter what he told her, she would never judged him.

Now that he understood his father more, he no longer could swear not to walk down the same path he did. He could no longer hate humans just because of his father's past actions. If he did indeed love this human woman in his arms, he wouldn't let her go. Not now that he knew how much better life could be by having her in it.

Even if this wasn't love, he would not allow his half-brother to take her completely out of his life. She was his pack mate. She cared for him and it would hurt her to lose him. He could not allow her to suffer, he hated seeing her cry. He hated smelling her sadness and her pain. Love or no, he would be there for her till her life's very end.


	31. Reunited

_**Chapter 31:**_ _**Reunited**_

The moment they had entered the clearing of the Shiro Shippo ran straight into Kagome's awaiting arms. In the next second Sango had her arms wrapped around the pair, crying in joy. Miroku and Inuyasha hung back and watched the small reunion, both very visibly relieved that she was finally back.

As soon as Sango calmed down, Kagome removed herself to hug both Miroku and Inuyasha separately. She soaked in the warmth and their familiar scents, overwhelmed in relief. After months of missing them, it felt as if this was a dream. And she was so very glad that it wasn't. She wasn't sure how much longer she could have been without them.

She turned to see Rin eagerly greeting Jaken and Ah-un. Her voice was raised, but still relatively quiet as not to offend the demons of the group. She exclaimed over and over how happy she was that they didn't get hurt and were still okay. She patted the dragons' heads and then to Jaken's shock wrapped the toad up in a huge bear hug.

Kagome couldn't help but laugh, her smile never fading as she turned to her friends, "we should make camp, then we can talk."

They all agreed and both groups wandered away from the shiro till they found a nice clearing to settle down in. As they made camp Kagome feverantly thanked the gods for matches, she had accidentally forgotten them the last time she had returned home. She hesitated a moment feeling the weight of someone's gaze on her. Looking from her spot, her eyes connected with cold golden orbs.

She gave him a tentative smile, "it's a match. When I rub it along this edge of the box," she demonstrated, "a flame is made. It makes lighting a campfire so much easier."

The fire caught and she took her seat in between Rin and Shippo. Her friends who sat across from her were watching her with an odd look on their faces. Their eyes moved back and forth from the demon lord, that sat leaned up against the tree behind her, to her. Ignoring the questioning looks she decided to just delve into explaining how she got kidnapped along with Rin and how they escaped.

"The mud was definitely a good touch," Miroku commented.

"I thought so too," she nodded, "Rin didn't want me to do it at first, but I explained that even though she was told not to get muddy that this one time was needed and okay."

"Papa," Rin flushed with happiness at the new form of address she had been okayed to use, "always told me to stay clean. Mud is bad for clothing."

Four pairs of shocked eyes glanced between the little girl and the silent demon. His face remained impassive, his eyes looking out into the distance, pointedly ignoring their searching looks. His eyes only focused for a moment when Kagome glanced back at him and gave him a smile. Gold clashed with blue and her smile widened before she turned back to her group.

"After that, we found a den that I knew would work wonders for our stay. Rin slept at night, I slept in the afternoon, and we set up a daily pattern that worked perfectly to keep us both safe as we waited."

"Where did you get the kimono," Sango finally asked the question that had been burning her tongue since they arrived.

"Lord Sesshomaru," Kagome told them honestly, "we stopped in a village and he bought me one. My clothes were so stained and in such bad condition, I was so grateful."

"Why the hell would you buy her anything," Inuyasha demanded, noting his brother still refused to acknowledge any of them but Kagome and Rin.

"Inuyasha," Kagome pulled his attention back, "it doesn't matter why. It was a very welcomed gesture. I needed the clothes for traveling, mine probably would have fallen apart long before we reached Edo."

"You went to Edo," Miroku asked shocked.

"I hadn't been home for months and Lord Sesshomaru said it would still be a time before you guys would return here, so I figured I needed to stop and tell my mother that I was still alive."

"You brought him to Edo," Inuyasha snarled, "you let him stay in the village while you went home?"

"He knows, Inuyasha," she told him pointedly causing several gasps from her group.

"Just what the fuck does he knew," the half-demon jumped to his feet in alarm.

She gave a soft sigh, "I told him about where I'm from. He knows I'm from the future."

Before he could do anything Rin spoke up, "mama told me and papa many stories, the future sounds amazing."

Kagome smiled brightly, "it can be."

"Mama," Shippo asked in question.

"Yes, Shippo," she laid a hand on his head, running her fingers through the hair in his pony tail.

"Does that make Rin my sister?"

"If you want her to be," Kagome smiled.

"I do, if Rin wants me to be her brother."

"I would like that very much," Rin smiled widely, overjoyed to have a father, mother and now a brother.

The half-demon stiffened further before suddenly turning around and jumping into a tree. She glanced up in sadness before shaking her head and turning back to the many questions their friends had about their escape and how they protected themselves at the den. She knew why her friend was upset, she just hoped that it wouldn't affect his decision when they finally told him about wanting to merge packs.


	32. The Answer is No

_**A/N: Alright, so! This is the last chapter that I currently have fully written already. I'm working on 33, it's coming to me slowly, but I'm not giving up on it. PLUS, I'm working on chapter 17 of ACTCF as well. The updates on both stories might be a bit slower, but I'll try to make sure I post at the very least two updates per story a week.**_

 _ **And once again, thank you all so much for reviewing/favoriting/following this story! You guys are AWESOME!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 32:**_ _**The Answer is No**_

Kagome woke up the next morning warm and simi-comfortable. Rin and Shippo laid on each side of her cuddled up against her body. She was on her back, her eyes now open staring at the still slightly dark sky. That night they had spent hours talking before going to bed. She had readied her sleeping bag and laid down, happy that both the children accepted each other and laid down next to her.

Only to be mildly disappointed when Sesshomaru didn't join them. Every night for the past month she had slept leaned up against him with Rin in her lap, or in his lap with Rin pillowed on their legs. Every now and again they would find a good place to lay down beside each other and she would sleep snuggled up between them. So, for the first time in a month sleeping without him, she had found it rather difficult.

She understood why he didn't. She was more then sure Inuyasha would have thrown the biggest temper tantrum ever seen if they had laid down together. As it was, he was already sulking in a tree. Having seen his reaction last night made the nervous knot in her stomach tighten ten fold.

Quietly she slid out of her make-shift bed and began preparing the morning meal. She lit the campfire and set the water to boil for oatmeal. While it wasn't their favorite, she doubted anyone would want to hunt that morning, given the feelings of upset and confusion that still clung uncomfortably to their tiny camp.

She glanced to her side and smiled brightly when she noticed that Sesshomaru was awake, "good morning."

It didn't surprise her that he didn't answer, but it pleased her when his head dipped forward slightly in acknowledgement.

"I'm going to go brush my teeth and freshen up a bit."

He unfolded himself, gracefully climbing to his feet. He followed her silently as she gathered her supplies and then led her to a stream outside of camp. His silence, while foreseen, was slightly unnerving after spending the last month surrounded by his wonderfully deep sinful voice. Though, the silence was better than hearing his tone turn cold and unforgiving.

"He left his perch in the middle of the night," he informed her.

"Inuyasha," Kagome asked as she wet her face and began getting ready to brush her teeth.

"Yes. He sat with his legs touching your pillow, watching you. I believe he was unaware that I was awake."

"I think he is just worried, you know? He hasn't been there the last month to protect me and he still sees you as an enemy, I guess."

"Hn," he knelt next to her, using his fingers under her chin he turned her face to look into her eyes, "I have never been your enemy, nor will I ever be."

"I know, Lord Sesshomaru," she embarrassedly covered her foam filled mouth with her hand, "I trust you."

Pleased with her response he allowed her to turn back to her morning routine. She quickly finished brushing her teeth and washed out her mouth. Still slightly embarrassed, she stood and turned to her silent companion. Without hesitation she reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it slightly for reassurance.

"I know I've said this many times but, thank you," she smiled at him, "for everything, Lord Sesshomaru. You found me, took me to see my family, bought me gifts, and then returned me to my friends. I truly don't know how I could ever thank you. This means the world to me."

He gently tugged her forward and held her tightly to his right side, pillowing her face on his pelt. He was pleased to hear her sigh of contentment as she leaned into him. Neither willing to admit to each other how nice to felt to be held by the other, how right it seemed to be. Sinking her fingers into the soft fur, she pushed herself onto her tippy toes and placed a soft kiss on the velty markings on his cheek.

His eyes widened for a moment, shocked at the new liberty she had taken with his person. A pleased growl rumbled his chest, as he buried his nose in the hair at the top of her head. They remained there for several minutes, simply soaking in each other's presence. Reluctantly she pulled away, knowing that if they were gone too long Inuyasha would come to find her.

Patiently he waited for her as she gathered her morning supplies and then led her back to the group. As they walked she slipped her hand back into his, needing to feel close to him after such a difficult night sleeping without him. He watched her from the corner of his eye, aware that she was still nervous about the upcoming conversation with her pack mates.

He dropped her off at her bag and returned to his seat against the tree. She put away her stuff and grabbed the bowls she needed to finish making breakfast. By the time the oatmeal was ready the entire camp was awake. The two groups converged together to sit in front of the fire.

As she passed out the food she realized that they were three bowls shy, seeing as her group normally wasn't this large. She allowed Rin to eat from her bowl and quickly made a second helping in which she took over to Sesshomaru. She knelt next to him holding the warm food.

"What the hell are you doing, wench," Inuyasha snarled.

Ignoring the upset half-demon, she spoke softly, "I'm sorry, we don't have enough bowls for everyone. But, there is plenty of food for all of us."

He accepted the bowl, staring down at the odd substance that it held. It wasn't something she had served them before.

"It's oatmeal," she told him gently, "it's not the best, but at least it's something to tide you over till lunch."

"Hn."

"Once I've made a helping for Jaken, I promise I'll make one for myself."

He inclined his head as he set the bowl beside him, using the contraption she called a spoon to feed himself the rather odd textured food. It was slightly sweet and he found it wasn't offensive to his taste buds, though she was correct that it wasn't the best, as she had served things far superior to this.

"Why the hell are you feeding them," the half-demon growled, his eyes narrowing at his half-brother.

"Inuyasha," Kagome huffed, "Lord Sesshomaru found us and brought us here. Him and Jaken spent months looking for us. They wasted their time that could have been spent doing something more productive than trying to find us, and then he wasted even more time having to bring me back here. Sharing our food is the very least we could do to thank them!"

"You don't need to thank him," Inuyasha protested, "he would have looked anyway because of that girl! And he only brought you back here to the Shiro cause I made him promise that he would help you find us if he found you first. Otherwise he probably would have left you!"

"And," she challenged, "I don't care that he promised you. I don't care that he did it to protect his honor. You of all people should know what it's like to be out there! I was scared out of my mind, trying desperately to protect Rin and keep her safe. It was kind of hard, you know, seeing as I didn't really have much experience being the protector, instead of being protected!"

Turning her back to him, she moved over to the oddly quiet imp and offered him a bowl. He accepted it with a stammered thank you, surprised to be included in the group instead of forced to hunt for himself. She returned to her seat and using Shippo's bowl made herself some breakfast.

"Inuyasha," Miroku spoke up, always the voice of reason, "Lady Kagome is just being generous like she usually is. There is no harm in sharing our bountiful food supply. Besides, I think we are all grateful to Lord Sesshomaru, seeing as he did keep his promise and brought Lady Kagome back to us."

Angry and snuffed, the half-demon crossed his arms with a moody "keh."

The rest of the morning meal was consumed in silence. Afterwards, Sango and Kagome went to the stream and cleaned the dishes. They returned to the uncomfortably quiet camp. Inuyasha and Miroku were warily watching the unmoving demon lord while Rin and Shippo talked quietly. Fighting back her nervousness, Kagome returned to her spot next to the fire.

"Let's get going already," Inuyasha snarled when he noticed that their previously missing member didn't seem so inclined to get started on the day yet.

"Can we talk first," Kagome asked softly.

"Is everything okay, Kagome," Sango set a hand on her shoulder in concern.

"Yeah, it's just that…"

"This Sesshomaru," his cold voice drew the entire camps attention, "suggests that we merge packs with the like mind to defeat Naraku."

"Like fucking hell," Inuyasha snarled.

"Inuyasha," Kagome quickly cut in, "please, think about it."

"No," he growled angrily, "absolutely not. He is the enemy!"

"He isn't the enemy," she protested, standing quickly to intercept him when he made a move to get closer to his half-brother.

"Are you fucking crazy!? He tried to kill us!"

"Yeah, but you tried to kill me once too," she pleaded, "he won't hurt any of us! He just wants to be here to help!"

"Bullshit!"

"Lady Kagome," Miroku pulled her attention, "are you sure you would feel comfortable with him journeying with us?"

"Of course," she didn't miss a beat, "I was comfortable with him the past month, having us all together would just make things easier."

"What did you just say," Inuyasha pinned her with angry amber eyes.

"Having us together would be easier?"

"Before that."

"That I was comfortable with him the last month?"

Sango gasped out, "a whole month?"

"Well, I mean a couple days shy of a month, but pretty close."

"No."

"Inuyasha," she cried out, "do you know how upset I was the last couple months missing you guys? Now you are going to make me miss them instead?"

"I apologise Lady Kagome, but I agree with Inuyasha," Miroku told her evenly, "we can not trust him."

"You can trust me, can't you," she exclaimed, "and I trust him!"

"Kagome," Sango gently urged her, "it would cause problems, none of us would be comfortable."

"But."

"No, wench," Inuyasha cut her off, "we all made a choice."

Her face fell and her shoulders slumped, but she nodded. She would have to try and change their mind, but as of right now there was nothing she could do. The happiness of being reunited with her pack faded, replaced once more with the now familiar constant sadness. After the campsite was packed up, she spent as long as Inuyasha allowed saying goodbye to her daughter and Sesshomaru.

"I promise, Lord Sesshomaru will bring you to visit as often as he can," she told the distraught little girl.

"Papa," she whispered, her teary brown eyes searching his face for confirmation.

"Yes," he responded to her silent question.

"I'm sorry, I wish… I want… I…"

"It's okay, mama," Rin assured her, wrapping her tiny arms around her mother's neck.

"I love you," Kagome told her, holding her as tight as possible without causing pain.

"I love you too."

She released the little girl and turned to her daughter's father, "I know you will take care of her. Thank you, again."

He reached out to her and gently gripped her hand, his silent way of saying goodbye. She squeezed tightly, reluctant to let go. Her heart felt heavy when his fingers detangled from hers and his small group turned and began heading west. Tears fell silently from her eyes, as she turned towards her own group, ready to head out.

While it hurt to tell them goodbye, she was happy to know that they would be able to visit as often as possible. It made the loss just a little bit more bearable. Shippo jumped into her arms giving her comfort as they began their search for the jewel shards once more.


End file.
